Which act ensures equal treatment for employees and applicants, prohibiting discrimination?

The Equality Act 2010 is the legislation that ensures equal treatment for employees and applicants by prohibiting discrimination in various contexts including employment. This Act consolidated previous anti-discrimination laws into a single framework, making it easier for individuals to understand their rights and for employers to comply with legal requirements. The Act covers various protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation, thereby providing comprehensive protection against unfair treatment in the workplace.

The other options, while relevant in various contexts, do not specifically focus on the equal treatment of employees and applicants in the manner that the Equality Act 2010 does. The Equality Act 2020, for instance, is not a recognized piece of legislation specifically pertaining to employment discrimination. The Freedom of Information Act primarily deals with public access to information held by public authorities and does not address workplace discrimination. Lastly, the Employment Rights Act 1996 mainly provides rights pertaining to the terms and conditions of employment, including issues around unfair dismissal and redundancy, rather than focusing directly on discrimination issues. Therefore, the Equality Act 2010 is uniquely positioned as the correct choice for this question.