Members of the House of Lords have approved an amendment to UK employment law which, it is hoped, will reduce the chances of disabled people facing discrimination in the job application process.
The amendment which was approved in the House of Lords during the third reading of the Equality Bill would meant that it would become illegal to ask for information regarding an applicant’s health in the job application process. Therefore, employers would be unable to ask to know about disabilities or any health problems before a job offer was made.
Equality campaigners have welcomed the House of Lords’ acceptance of the amendment but maintain that it should have been included in the Equality Bill in the first place. Now that the amendment has been approved by the House of Lords it has to be passed to the House of Commons for further scrutiny.