The Government Equality Office (GEO) has said it can not rule out that the implementation of the majority of the Equality Act could be delayed under the new Government. 

Doubts had been raised after the GEO removed the October 2010 date for the Act’s implementation from its website.

Questioned over the possibility of a delay, a spokesperson for the GEO has said: “An announcement on scheduling for implementation of the Equality Act will be made in due course.”

It always had been the plan that certain sections of the Act would follow a phased introduction. The public sector equality duty, socio-economic duty and combined discrimination were due to come into effect in April 2011; the ban on age discrimination in the provision of goods and services and public functions was due to be implemented in 2012; and gender pay gap reporting was set to be introduced in 2013 if insufficient voluntary progress had been made.

Legal experts have confirmed there is no time restriction on a government to implement an Act after it has received Royal Assent.