Sex discrimination debate postponed to next States

Deputy Peter Roffey said the debate risked becoming farcical without proper preparation

Plans to introduce anti-discrimination laws in Guernsey on the grounds of sex have been postponed and will not be debated until the next government.

The legislation was due to be part of Phase 2 of Guernsey's Anti-Discrimination Legislation, a planned update to the previous law.

Deputy Peter Roffey, President of Employment and Social Security, said the development of sex and gender policy could not be completed in time due to its "complex and controversial nature".

He said attempting to discuss it before the end of this political term would risk rushing it.

In 2023, Phase 1 of Guernsey's Anti-Discrimination Legislation was introduced, which protects people from discrimination on the grounds of disability, carer status, race, religion and belief, and sexuality.

Protecting people from discrimination due to age and sex was due to be brought in in Phase 2, between 2024 and 2026.

Roffey said ongoing legal debate in the UK was one of the reasons the committee was postponing it to the next political term, which starts after the election in June.

He said: "All the bodies interested in this subject, from the whole spectrum of opinion on it, were telling us 'don't rush it, take your time, get it right' and that can't be done before April."