UK Race Legislation Summary

The initial Race Relations Act (1976) makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone due to their racial background in employment, education, housing and in the provision of goods and services. The amendment to the Race Relations Act (2000) extends this coverage to all public bodies including Further and Higher Education, where they are required to take action to promote race equality.

Institutions are required to respond to a ‘positive duty’ which involves:

• eliminating unlawful discrimination
• promoting equality of opportunity
• promoting good race relations between persons of different racial groups

In addition, the Higher Education sector, have the following specific duties in order to help meet the three points above:

• have a race equality policy
• monitor the admission and progress of students and staff recruitment and career progression by racial group
• assess the impact of all institutional policies for their impact on different racial groups
• publish the results of all its work on race equality

Race Legislation – Full Documentation

The following is a list of documents giving detailed information on all legislation relating to race:

• Race Relations Act (1976)
• Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000)
• The Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003

Codes of Practice

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) produced a statutory Code of Practice on the Duty to Promote Race Equality. If an institution does not meet these minimum requirements, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can issue a compliance order against the institution and legally force compliance.

Help and Guidance on UK Legislation

Following are a number of external web sites providing guidance on UK race issues:

• The Equality Challenge Unit (ECU)
• Equality and Human Rights Commission