Equality Bill [Lords]

I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman followed my career when I was a member of the London Assembly, but there was a great deal of consensus among the four parties about the need to harness the valuable skills of migrants, including asylum seekers, for our community. However, that is a debate for another time. I believe passionately in the need for protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexuality in the provision of goods and services. As many Members have highlighted, gays and lesbians can still be turned away from hotels and suffer discrimination in medical care. Those are antiquated practices in the 21st century. People should be treated equally, and they should not suffer discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The issue matters a great deal to a number of my constituents. My local Labour party has expressed support for the relevant provisions in the Bill, and I am delighted that my hon. Friend the Minister has worked with Members in the other place to accept an amendment to deal with the issue. However, I urge her to ensure that the measure is progressed quickly, so that gay and lesbian people are not left behind in the Bill and are given equality as promptly as other people. I was talking to a lesbian couple in my constituency, both of them churchgoers who are keen to live their life as they choose. They talked about the measure, and one of them said:"““This won’t stop homophobia but it’s good to feel that I’m being brought inside the protection of the law.””" That is a basic human right. The fact that someone can walk down the street and suffer discrimination because of their religion or sexual orientation, and the fact that they can be refused services are things that we should not tolerate in the 21st century. I am delighted that there is support on both sides of the House for the measure, but I am dismayed that some hon. Members do not fully support that view. I am delighted that the Government have listened. I hope that my hon. Friend the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality will look to progress the measure at speed. There is also an economic argument for tolerance. Richard Florida, the American academic, has written about tolerance and diversity as two key elements of creative business growth. Creative businesses in my constituency and in a large area to the west of London and outside London are one of the fastest growing employment sectors. The Bill contributes to tolerance. Compared with the position eight or 10 years ago, people’s rights in this country have moved so far forward that it is sometimes difficult to remember what it was like and to appreciate the rate of progress. I commend my hon. Friend the Minister for her work on that, and I am delighted that the House supports the Bill.