Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

The point we are trying to address is the hatred that can be directed towards an individual in relation to those different defining things that may affect identity. I will explain where the Government are in relation to the other two. I understand people’s concern over ““likely to””, although not because there is any distinction between the racial and the religious. I understand too the concern expressed by the noble Baroness, Lady O’Cathain, among others, about whether it is clearly understood that the Human Rights Act and all its terms apply with equal force to this legislation. I see the noble Lord, Lord Lester, shaking his head, but I am seeking to deal with the concerns that have been raised by a number of noble Lords, and I need to do so.