HC Deb 21 October 1992 vol 212 cc300-2W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to prevent religious discrimination in employment due to certain unavailability for work due to religious observation.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The Commission for Racial Equality's second review of the Race Relations Act 1976, presented to the Government on 9 September, recommended that legislation against religious discrimination be given further consideration. We will be looking carefully at the recommendations contained in that review, but the Government have no plans at present to introduce such legislation.

The Government believe that it is for employers to agree with employees arrangements for meeting religious needs. For example, employers might consider whether they can vary or adapt working patterns or facilities to help meet such needs. The Government encourage this voluntary approach, for example, through the guidance

Total prisoner nights by police force, April to September 1992
Police Force April May June July August September
Avon and Somerset 1,187 1,208 1,214 1,288 1,127 746
Bedfordshire 651 695 658 549 199 113
Cambridgeshire 537 605 575 612 331 39
Cheshire 1,414 1,213 1,200 1,237 1,220 1,075
Cleveland 886 708 140 112 17 0
Cumbria 799 750 612 666 498 349
Derbyshire 732 414 347 723 407 454
Devon and Cornwall 607 790 596 321 414 117
Dorset 95 0 0 2 0 0
Durham 867 710 405 268 266 170
Dyfed and Powys 274 573 544 482 246 40
Essex 546 451 998 888 39 85
Gloucestershire 0 129 251 232 245 260
Greater Manchester 7,581 7,212 7,213 7,596 7,101 7,572
Gwent 583 585 561 561 301 155
Hampshire 698 431 407 431 283 394
Hertfordshire 607 587 648 453 0 0
Humberside 994 875 810 802 673 648
Kent 54 11 87 0 1 158
Lancashire 3,111 3,223 2,205 2,182 1,988 1,707
Leicestershire 854 713 609 901 794 152
Lincolnshire 420 313 254 218 136 0
City of London 6 0 0 8 136 0
Merseyside 2,827 2,476 2,304 2,656 2,183 2,382
Metropolitan 5,579 4,421 2,034 3,771 1,667 1,499
Norfolk 532 280 0 0 136 0
North Wales 406 406 364 158 393 270
North Yorkshire 737 639 567 579 632 380
Northamptonshire 727 871 751 751 342 0
Northambria 2,780 2,215 1,688 1,945 2,224 1,585
Nottinghamshire 992 891 704 609 475 65
South Wales 1,590 1,887 1,596 1,711 983 684
South Yorkshire 1,779 1,571 1,171 908 953 325
Staffordshire 563 443 241 375 467 341
Suffolk 488 671 702 427 100 0
Surrey 416 308 365 334 499 340
Sussex 53 37 136 541 808 640
Thames Valley 1,162 712 751 507 314 0
Warwickshire 315 320 265 199 136 0
West Mercia 1,843 1,704 1,291 1,243 1,142 1,041
West Midlands 1,431 1,533 1,266 1,057 996 510
West Yorkshire 3,778 4,026 2,344 2,056 739 712
Wiltshire 507 583 185 253 359 304

Payments made to police forces since 1 April 1992
Police Force £ paid since 1 April 1992 Paid up until
Avon and Somerset 1,897,490.34 31 August 1992
Bedfordshire 515,263.68 31 August 1992
Cambridgeshire 675,856.99 31 July 1992

pack published recently by the Employment Department and entitled "Equal Opportunities—Ten Point Plan for Employers".

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