The race equality duty

The general duty
Specific duties
- Specific duties in Scotland
Duty publications
Sharing good practice

The duty in Scotland The race equality duty in Scotland - main pageThe race equality duty - general duties Information about the general statutory duty to promote race equality, and the steps public authorities should take to meet it.The duty to prepare and publish a race equality scheme/policy General information about the specific duties upon public authorities to promote race equality, including race equality schemes, assessing functions and policies for their impact on race equality, impact assessment, monitoring for adverse impact, and publishing resultsWhat is a race equality scheme, and what should it include? Guidance for public authorities on preparing a race equality scheme as part of the specific duties to promote race equalityGood race relations guide Introductory page to the CRE's good race relations guideBenefits of meeting the duty A description of some of the benefits public authorities will enjoy by implementing the statutory duty to promote race equalityPublications: The race equality duty Publications about the race equality duty and good practice in the public and private sector, including codes of practice, performance guidelines, ethnic monitoring guides and research publications

The race equality duty

Race equality duty code of practice (PDF 442.5 KB)
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This page was last updated on 06 January 2006

Helping you meet your obligations under the duty

In 2001, the Race Relations Act was amended to give public authorities a new statutory duty to promote race equality. The aim is to help public authorities to provide fair and accessible services, and to improve equal opportunities in employment.

The legislation was necessary to ensure that we all receive the best from our public services. Previously many public bodies were failing to address the problems of racial discrimination and inequality; this was highlighted by the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The way in which public bodies carry out their functions can vary based on the size of the authority, its geographical location and local demography but all public bodies need to take account of race equality.

The legislation helps ensure public authorities become more accountable to the people they serve and allows everyone the opportunity to give their views about the services that affect them. That means it helps provide the kind of public functions and services all of us need, want and deserve as well as helping to further equality of opportunity and better race relations.

The duty to promote race equality is commonly referred to as the race equality duty. We use this as a generic term to refer to the general statutory duty under section 71(1) of the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended (the Act) and the various specific duties (including the employment duty) that were introduced by way of statutory instruments.

Race equality schemes: the three-yearly review

All public authorities in England and Wales listed under Schedule 1 of the Act were required to review their list of functions, policies and proposed policies by 31 May 2005 (in Scotland, the deadline is 30 November 2005). Click on the links below for our guidance on how to comply with this duty, and to download the CRE's own review of its statutory functions and related policies.

The general duty

The general duty applies to all public authorities listed in Schedule 1A of the Act. It requires them:

to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination;
to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different racial groups, and;
to promote good relations between persons of different racial groups
Promoting good race relations: a guide for public authorities

You can find out more about the general duty here:

More about the general duty

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Specific duties

The specific duties were introduced to help public authorities to meet the general duty. It is obligatory for all public authorities listed in Schedule 1 of the Act to meet the specific duties.

There are different specific duties placed on schools and further and higher education institutions, and you should refer to the relevant pages for further information.

For more about the specific duties, see:

Public authorities:

Educational institutions:

Specific duties in Scotland

The specific duties imposed by the Home Secretary only apply to non-devolved authorities in Scotland. The Scottish parliament has the right to approve separate specific orders for Scotland (that is, the specific duties that will apply in Scotland and the devolved bodies to which they will apply).

Specific duties in Scotland

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Duty publications

The CRE has produced a statutory code of practice, and four non-statutory guides, providing practical guidance to help authorities meet their duty.

Code of practice and guidance for England and Wales

There is a separate statutory code of practice for public authorities in Scotland and accompanying non-statutory guides.

Code of practice and guidance for Scotland

The CRE has also produced additional guidance on specific issues such as procurement and partnership working to help authorities meet the race equality duty.

Race equality duty publications

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