「2006年平等法」被認為是英國繼「1998年人權法」之後最重要之人權立法，此法擴大反歧視之領域，並且設立「平等及人權委員會」，此委員會聲稱將同時具備兩種特質，第一是獨立之機制，第二是反歧視及人權機制。本文從歷史及原因、組織、職權三個面向探討「平等及人權委員會」，本文認為除了英國國內因素之外，至少有三個國際因素導引「平等及人權委員會」之設立，包括「歐洲人權公約」國內法化之衝擊、國家人權機構國際發展之影響、歐洲共同體相關指令之要求。在組織部分，「平等及人權委員會」被定位為非部會公共機關，成為廣義行政權之一部分，因而在人事及預算都相當程度地受行政權之影響，其實難以完全確保其獨立性。在職權部分，雖然行政權不是直接介入，但是仍然有其可能性且不違法，因而影響「平等及人權委員會」之職權行使。或許總結而言，作為非部會公共機關之「平等及人權委員會」只能稱為準獨立機關。

Following adoption of the Human Rights Act 1998 the Equality Act 2006 is regarded as the most important human rights legislation in the UK. This equality law extends the ambit of antidiscrimination, and establishes the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The Commission claims that it obtains two characteristics: independent agency and anti-discrimination and human rights institution. This essay's analysis includes three fields: history, organization and function. It is argued that, apart from domestic factors, there were at least three international elements drove the UK to establish the Commission. They included impacts of incorporation of European Convention on Human Rights, international developments of national human rights institutions, and enforcements of EU directives. In the part of organization, the Commission, being defined as a Non Departmental Public Body, becomes part of administration in broad sense. The result is that its budget and personnel are controlled by administrative power, and thus can not become fully independent. As to its function, although administrative power does not involve directly, it may illegally affect the Commission's ways of performing functions. It therefore can be concluded that the Commission can only be sustained as a quasi-independent institution.