§ Mr. Tilleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps is he taking to ensure that public bodies and private companies adopt effective equal employment opportunities policies to eliminate discrimination or disadvantage based on race or sex.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th July 1978; Vol. 954, c. 30], gave the following information:
My Department's Race Relations Employment Advisory Service provides guidance on problems arising in the multiracial workforce; this service is being expanded and in recent months the number of full-time advisers has increased from 14 to 23 and will reach a total of 26 by the autumn. This expansion provides for a more intensive approach to the promotion of racial equality policies in employment. Advice about equal pay and sex discrimination legislation is provided by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
Through the responsible Ministers, an approach has been made to the nationalised industries and other public bodies requesting them to review their policies for ensuring racial equality, and I hope that later in the year they will be 289W in a position to let me know the outcome of the reviews. The assistance of the advisory service has been offered to the bodies concerned to help both in carrying out their reviews and in improving racial equality policies and procedures and I hope that full advantage will be taken of this.
I have also had consultations with the Ministers responsible for the health authorities and local authorities about the separate action which they have taken to draw attention to the importance which the Government attach to effective racial equality policies and procedures in employment.