§ Mr. VazTo ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to meet the CRE's leadership challenge. [76963]
§ The Prime MinisterI accepted the CRE's Leadership Challenge on 12 May 1998.
843WI have made clear my commitment to Britain being a beacon to the world on race equality. This Government are taking a clear lead in improving race equality.
The Lawrence inquiry has done much to identify the problems to which we must all face. With my full support, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary is developing a comprehensive response to the report. He announced to the House on 24 February 1999, Official Report, columns 389–93, his intention to extend the Race Relations Act 1976 to cover all public services. A wider action plan is also being developed.
In my role as Minister for the Civil Service, I am committed to ensuring that the Civil Service reflects at all levels the diversity of our society. I also commend the Charter for Action recently launched by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the head of the Home Civil Service and the Council of Civil Service Unions, to redress the under-representation of the ethnic minorities in the Civil Service.