Orders of the Day — Race Relations (Amendment) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 6 February 1970.

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Photo of Mr Sydney Bidwell Mr Sydney Bidwell , Southall 12:00, 6 February 1970

The principal enactment has been described as rather unusual, and I think it is true to say that it is probably the gentlest legislation ever put on the Statute Book. It provides room for conciliation in these matters, but those of us who have been heavily engaged in problems of race relations and immigration realise that it has not produced the perfect instrument. If the right hon. Gentleman's proposition took us any further forward, I would not hestitate to support it. However, we have to think not so much of discriminating in favour of but of discriminating against, and there is a slender balance between the two.

As a number of hon. Members have said already, if we talk in terms of inserting words in an advertisement to the effect that only certain people need apply for a given employment, what we really mean is that certain people need not apply. If the end result of a person seeking to engage the services of others is that that persons gets what he really wants, no harm is done, provided that the insertion of the right hon. Gentleman's words does not weaken the central purpose of what we set out to do.

It is common knowledge that I represent a constituency with a large concentration of people originating from India. Many Indian people might tend to err on the side of the right hon. Gentleman's proposal. We have Indian restaurants which would probably want to advertise for an Indian waiter. They can get the same results, because it is hardly likely that others would have the necessary qualifications, in other ways. We have not outlawed discrimination, we have outlawed it on two simple counts. The hon. and learned Member for Buckinghamshire, South (Mr. Ronald Dell) has said that we have not put in legislation which heavily favours coloured people or workers from overseas. The Measure is not working out in that way. This is not an act of discrimination on racial grounds, but on grounds of suitability. It is easy to show that, particularly with employment, without such a proposal as we have here.

Although it is good that we should discuss this today, we ought to wait for the body set up by Parliament to reach a calmer decision on what needs to be added to or taken from our present enactments. The Race Relations Board and the Community Relations Commission set up under the 1968 Act should have a little more time. The Act lays upon them a duty to make recommendations to the Home Secretary. That is the right way to proceed. To adopt the terms of the amendment would be the wrong way.