§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what instructions have been given to local authorities to ensure that(a) children, (b) elderly people, (c) people with mental illness and (d) people with learning difficulties for whom the local authority has responsibility are net exposed to (i) racist opinion expressed by and (ii) policy decisions taken by elected representatives. [176828]
§ Mr. RaynsfordRegulations under the Local Government Act 2000 provide that under each local authority's code of conduct members must promote equality by not discriminating unlawfully against any person, and must treat others with respect. In addition, the amended Race Relations Act puts a statutory duty on all local authorities to promote race equality, and prepare and publish a Race Equality Scheme that must 265W include provisions for assessing whether functions or policies are relevant to race equality, and for monitoring policies to see how they affect race' equality.