§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken on the findings of the Commission for Racial Equality that young black people, particularly in inner cities, were substantially more likely to be charged than whites for similar offences.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 22 October 1992]: I have recently received this report and will be looking closely at its findings. The report suggests that further data are needed to establish the reasons for differences in prosecution rates, and that these data can be obtained only through permanent ethnic monitoring. The Home Secretary now has a duty under section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to publish information on race and the criminal justice system, and the first booklet containing such information was published in September this year.