The case of Lorraine Mann, who is challenging a refusal by the government to allow her to stand as a job-sharing candidate during the 1999 Scottish parliament elections, is delaying plans to legislate for all-women shortlists when selecting parliamentary candidates.

Mann's case rests on showing that being an MSP is a profession. She argues that permitting all-women shortlists through an exemption to the Sex Discrimination Act could imply that candidates are covered by employment law except in the area exempted, undermining the government's defence.