Equality Law

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has said it is developing new guidance for employers and service providers following a UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of "woman" in British equality law. The UK's top court ruled earlier this month that the term "woman" as it appears in the Equ

The UK Supreme Court's ruling that the word "woman" in the Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women will likely have an impact in Northern Ireland, despite that legislation only applying in Great Britain, Irish Legal News has been told.

A man who brought a religious discrimination claim against the Hilton Belfast hotel with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has agreed to a £10,000 settlement without admission of liability. Jonathan Kerr, who describes himself as a "practising Judaeo-Christian", to

Two recruitment agencies have agreed to undertake equality reviews after being contacted by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Sigmar Recruitment and Staffline Recruitment were invited to conduct the reviews by the Commission, using its statutory power under section 32(1)(a) of the

Ireland's exams body is to undertake an equality review at the behest of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The watchdog today announced that it had used its legal powers under section 32(1)(a) of the 2014 IHREC Act to invite the State Examinations Commission (SEC) to carry out an equal

Northern Ireland's Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has paid a substantial settlement to its former interim chief executive who complained of sex, race and age discrimination and constructive dismissal. The sum paid to Margaret Farragher, who resigned in June 2022, was

Tesco is to pay £45,000 to a former part-time employee who brought a complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Lara Storey, a former part-time Dotcom Personal Shopper, claimed that she had been subjected to sexual harassmen

A former nursing student with a cancer diagnosis has settled a disability discrimination case against Queen’s University Belfast for £25,000. Natasha Bradshaw, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, was supported in bringing the case by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

The High Court has determined that the Circuit Court hearing of a hotel discrimination appeal brought by members of the Traveller community was unfair in circumstances where the presiding judge was overly-interventionist and conducted a large part of the examination of the witnesses. Delivering judg

An employment appeal tribunal in London has rejected a claim from a man who said he had been discriminated against because of his "English nationalist" beliefs, which include seeking the deportation of all Muslims from the UK. The claimant, Steven Thomas, had been engaged through an employment agenc

Holiday park operator Pontins has apologised for discriminating against Irish Travellers as it begins to implement an action plan developed with Britain's equality watchdog. In February, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published an investigation into Pontins and served the company wi

A man who alleged that he was told "we don't serve Protestants" by the landlord of Bittles Bar in Belfast has settled a religious discrimination case for £6,500. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland supported the man, who has not been named, in bringing the case against John Bittles.

The High Court has determined that a woman who was handed an envelope containing a P45 without any explanation whilst on sick leave during her pregnancy was the subject of discrimination and did not have to make further enquiries as to whether this constituted a dismissal. Delivering judgment for th

Irish lawyer Tara O'Leary has been appointed to the panel of counsel for Great Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Ms O'Leary, originally from Co Kerry, qualified as a barrister in England and Wales in 2014. She holds an LLB in law and European studies from the University of Limer

Members of the public have been urged to contribute to an inquiry into gaps in equality legislation in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly's committee for the Executive Office is undertaking an inquiry into differences in equality legislation between Northern Ireland, other parts of the