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Error-ridden laws prompt drafting query

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The quality of law drafting has been called into question after a review found two anti-discrimination laws were peppered with inconsistencies and errors.

The Equal Opportunities Commission is proposing a package of amendments after examining the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.

A copy of the report showed the watchdog had spotted at least four discrepancies between the pieces of legislation.

The sex discrimination law stipulates that voting rights and the right to be elected or appointed to advisory or public bodies should not be restricted due to one's sex, marital status or pregnancy.

But no such safeguards had been included in the disability discrimination law.

The commission said it was in breach of the equal opportunities principle. The Sex Discrimination Ordinance empowers the commission to issue enforcement notices for compliance but the disability law had no such provisions.

The commission believed that was an oversight when legislating.

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