Commentary on Sections Part 1 - Introductory Section 3: equal opportunities
17.Section 3 requires the Scottish Ministers, the Commission, Health Boards, hospital managers and local authorities, doctors, nurses and mental health officers to discharge functions under the 2003 Act in a manner which encourages equal opportunities and in particular the equal opportunities requirements. These requirements include the subject matter of the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. “Equal opportunities” has the same meaning as in the Scotland Act 1998, being “the prevention, elimination or regulation of discrimination between persons on grounds of sex or marital status, on racial grounds, or on grounds of disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, or of other personal attributes, including beliefs or opinions, such as religious beliefs or political opinions”.