The CRE's legal powers
The CRE has statutory powers under Race Relations Act 1976. These include powers to:
- advise or assist people with complaints about racial discrimination, harassment or abuse
- conduct formal investigations of companies and organisations where there is evidence of possible discrimination; if the investigation does find discrimination, the CRE can oblige the organisation to change the way it operates
- take legal action against racially discriminatory advertisements, and against organisations that attempt to pressurise or instruct others to discriminate — such as employers instructing employment agencies not to send them applicants from ethnic minorities, or companies instructing their workers to discriminate in the way they provide goods or services
- assist individuals to take judicial review action to challenge decisions of public bodies, including their compliance to the statutory duty to promote race equality ('the race equality duty')
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