§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Paymaster General what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards development of the practice of positive discrimination in favour of young persons of Afro-Caribbean or Asian origin in the private sector.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Race Relations Act 1976 does not permit positive discrimination in favour of any particular racial group. Sections 37 and 38 of the Act do permit certain forms of positive action by training bodies and employers to allow encouragement and training when a racial group is seriously under-represented in particular work. The Government are seeking to encourage greater use of these provisions as a means of reducing the level of racial disadvantage.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Paymaster General what evidence he has that young persons of Afro-Caribbean or Asian origin get proportionately fewer jobs and stay at the bottom of the promotion ladder when in work; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyResearch studies over recent years have shown that the racial minorities in Britain have an inferior position in the labour market. The recent Policy studies Institute publication "Racial Discrimination—17 Years After the Act" concluded that racial discrimination by employers remains as common as it was a decade ago with at least a third of employers discriminating against black jobseekers. The PSI publication "Black and White Britain" published in 1984 showed that people of Asian and West Indian origin at work tended to have jobs with lower pay and lower status than those of white workers. The 1984 labour force survey shows that unemployment rates were generally considerably higher for the ethnic minorities than whites with similar characteristics in terms of age and qualifications. For the age group 16 to 24, the survey showed that in the spring of 1984 the unemployment rate for those of Caribbean or Asian origin was about a third compared with less than a fifth for those of white ethnic origin. It is generally accepted that the best person should get a job, without discrimination. Positive action within the existing law should reduce discrimination.