§ Angela EagleTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what progress has been made in his Department and non-departmental public bodies on implementing the4W requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117619]
§ Hilary BennIn accordance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, DFID published a Race Equality Scheme in May 2002. This reiterates DFID's commitment to promoting race equality and sets out how the department plans to meet its obligations under the new Act, both as a service provider and as an employer.
Due to the international focus of its work, DFID has only a few functions which provide services to the UK public. The Department has set up systems to assess, review and monitor its policies and practices including as an employer so as to ensure compliance with the Act.
The results of this monitoring will be published annually, with the first report expected in the last quarter of 2003. It will be placed on the DFID website and be made available in hard copy on request.
DFID has three non-departmental public bodies. Systems are in place to monitor their recruitment policies and practices. The principles of equal opportunity and diversity apply within the appointments process at all stages, and care is taken not to discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, age, disability, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or community background. All appointments to these non-departmental public bodies are made on merit.