Last updated: 29/11/2007
I am a civil servant
Race - legislation
The first piece of significant legislation in the area of diversity was the Race Relations Act of 1976, which made it illegal to discriminate on grounds of race.
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 extended the 1976 legislation, and introduced a public equality duty on race, placing a legal duty on public authorities to ensure the promotion of race equality through its work (functions and policies) in addition to its employment practices.
Since May 2002, public bodies have been required to have in place race equality schemes which set out the actions being taken in more detail. Copies of the scheme are available through www.direct.gov.uk.
