§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has reached any conclusions in his review of the code-making procedures of the Race Relations and Sex Discrimination Acts.
§ Mr. TebbitAfter consideration of those sections of the Race Relations and Sex Discrimination Acts relating to the making and approving of codes of practice, and taking into account the views of the Select Committee on Employment, the Government have concluded that these provisions should be amended.
At present the Secretary of State is required either to reject in its entirety a draft code submitted to him by the Commission for Racial Equality or the Equal Opportunities Commission, or to lay it without amendment before Parliament for approval. He may not make any amendment in the light of the views of Parliament, or others. The Government therefore will amend the relevant provisions in both Acts to enable the Secretary of State to amend codes before presenting them to Parliament for approval. The Government intend that codes made before the amending legislation would be resubmitted under the new provisions.