Regulations Relating To Great Britain
Regulations covering the rest of the United Kingdom were first laid before Parliament on 7 March 2007. The Government had previously made an announcement that, for examples adoption agencies will be covered by the regulations (including those with a religious affiliation).
In the House of Commons, the regulations were adopted by 309 votes to 99. The dissenters were mostly Conservative MPs, although twenty-nine Tories did support the measures. However ten Labour Members (Joe Benton, Tom Clarke, Frank Cook, Jim Dobbin, David Drew, Peter Kilfoyle, James McGovern, Alan Meale, Geraldine Smith and David Taylor) voted against, along with four Liberal Democrats (Alan Beith, Colin Breed, Tim Farron and Bob Russell).
In the Lords, Peers approved the regulations by a majority of forty-six.
The regulations came into effect on 30 April 2007.
Guidance on the regulations was also issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham declared his opposition to the act, saying that the legislation contradicted the Catholic Church's moral values. He supported efforts to have Catholic adoption agencies exempted from sexual orientation regulations, which were ultimately successful in a judgement given on 17 March 2010. Further to this, the House of Lords is still considering an exemption to the legislation that will let religious agencies abide by their belief-based proscriptions regarding employment of active homosexuals.
Read more about this topic: Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations
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