§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they accept the recommendation made by the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights in Northern Ireland that ethnic monitoring should be improved in Northern Ireland.
§ Baroness Denton of WakefieldProposals for Race Relations legislation in Northern Ireland follow the general lines of the Race Relations Act 1976. Since that Act does not require employers in Great Britain to maintain records of the ethnic origin of their workforce or of job applicants it is not proposed to include such provisions in the Northern Ireland legislation.
The number and form of questions to be included in the 2001 Census for Northern Ireland has not yet been determined. It is planned to include a question on ethnic origin in the Census Test being conducted in Northern Ireland in 1997 of the nature of that included in the Great Britain 1991 Census.