§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the reply by the right hon. Member for Barkston Ash (Mr. Alison) to the hon. Member for Basildon of 10 March, Official Report, c. 495 what were the views expressed by (a) the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, (b) the Association of Independent Businesses, (c) the Confederation of British Industry, (d) the Institute of Personnel Management, (e) the National Chamber of Trade and (f) the Teesside Small Business Club Ltd., concerning the code of practice in employment proposed by the Commission for Racial Equality; what conclusions he has drawn from these submissions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonI do not consider that it would be appropriate to give in full detail the views of individual organisations, but of those mentioned by my hon. Friend, one supported the draft code without qualification, one was entirely against it and the other four expressed concern about certain aspects of the draft, in particular its length and complexity and the additional burden it might place on employers, especially small firms. My right hon. Friend has taken into account these views and those of others who made representations on the draft code and hopes to announce his conclusions shortly.