Member

Employers are already considering their specific circumstances and taking steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees to comply with the preventive duty that came into force in October, so taking such steps would not be new to them. Unlike these amendments, we do not wish to undermine employers’ expertise. Therefore, the Government also oppose the amendment that seeks to make it a requirement that the Government must make these regulations. Indeed, we will maintain the flexibility while creating requirements for specific steps to be taken only when the evidence justifies this, providing employers with certainty in certain areas. As such, we will introduce steps only where there is a strong evidence base that they are effective in combating sexual harassment. We will also carefully consider who they apply to, as we do not want to enforce a one-size-fits-all approach. This is a complicated area in which best practice is evolving over time and flexibility is needed to ensure that requirements remain up to date. Therefore, this power will also allow changes where necessary in the future, without needing further primary legislation.