Communications Act 2003

Equality of opportunity

23 (1) It shall be the duty of the Welsh Authority to make such arrangements as they consider appropriate for promoting, in relation to employment with the Authority, equality of opportunity—

(a) between men and women; and

(b) between persons of different racial groups.

(2) It shall be the duty of the Welsh Authority to make arrangements for promoting, in relation to employment with the Authority, the equalisation of opportunities for disabled persons.

(3) The Welsh Authority shall also make such arrangements as they consider appropriate for the training and retraining of persons whom they employ in or in connection with—

(a) the provision of one or more of their public services; or

(b) the making of programmes to be included in one or more of those services.

(4) The Welsh Authority—

(a) shall take all such steps as they consider appropriate for making persons affected by any arrangements made in pursuance of sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) aware of the arrangements (including the publication of the arrangements in such manner as they think fit);

(b) shall review the arrangements from time to time; and

(c) shall, from time to time (and at least annually), publish, in such manner as they consider appropriate, their observations on the current operation and effectiveness of the arrangements.

(5) Before making any arrangements in pursuance of any of sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) or determining the manner in which they will comply with sub-paragraph (4), the Welsh Authority must consult OFCOM.

(6) In this paragraph—

• “disabled” has the same meaning as in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50);

• “racial group” has the same meaning as in the Race Relations Act 1976 (c. 74) or, in Northern Ireland, the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/869 (N.I. 6)).

(7) The Secretary of State may by order amend sub-paragraph (1) by adding any other form of equality of opportunity that he considers appropriate to that sub-paragraph.

(8) No order is to be made containing provision authorised by sub-paragraph (7) unless a draft of the order has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House.