Racial Equality Body And Contracting Out

EDM number 1455 in 1993-94, proposed by Diane Abbott on 05/07/1994.

That this House notes the Employment Department's Race Relations Advisory Service is the only national service combating racial discrimination in employment practices and procedures and is the only core public service operating in the field of race relations as distinct from the more general field of equal opportunities; recognises that the Race Relations Advisory Service has a proven advocacy role with employers, is cost effective and not influenced by the profit motive; is concerned that the Race Relations Advisory Service reputation for confidentiality and for specialising in working with employers towards delivering effective race relations in the workplace will be undermined by the threat of its being contracted out to the private sector; and therefore calls upon the Government to immediately withdraw the Race Relations Advisory Service from its market-testing programme.

This motion has been signed by a total of 147 MPs.