Member

To avoid any sort of doubt—the noble Lord was asking me to be very clear—positive discrimination is unlawful under the 2010 Act except in limited ways in relation to disability. Positive discrimination implies that an organisation is recruiting or promoting someone because of their protected characteristic rather than on merit. Examples of positive action under the 2010 Act generally involve removing barriers and improving access for underrepresented groups to help to address inequalities in recruitment and promotion across the workplace more widely. That full statement from West Yorkshire Police is a good example. A police force should represent and look like the community that it is seeking to police. Its actions and its explanation are extremely valuable.