§ Angela EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in his Department and non departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117469]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Department for Transport is committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality. As a new Department, we published our first Race Equality Scheme—in agreement with the Commission for Racial Equality—on 31 March 2003. The Scheme will run for two years to bring it into line with those of other Departments. The Scheme covers the activities of the Department and its Executive Agencies as an employer as well as a policy maker and service provider. It also includes the non- departmental public bodies for which the Department is responsible.
The Scheme has built on the results of extensive research, which the Department has carried out to identify the specific transport needs of people from different ethnic and faith communities.
The Scheme includes a Race Equality Action Plan, which lists the key activities the Department will undertake through the two-year period of the Scheme. We will monitor, evaluate and consult on progress against these activities. We will review our progress and publish our findings. Each of the six Executive Agencies will develop their own Race Equality Action Plans by October 2003.