Equal Opportunites Law

[kebabuk]

Hi,

I am filling in some local authority forms at the moment and I do not want to answer the equal opportunities equestions but I am wondering if I have a legal obligation to do so or can I leave this section blank and is there any law I can quote if they insist on me filling in this section

Thanks

[woofgang]

You can decline to declare your ethnic background and there should be a space for you to do that. What else are they asking?

[boxtops]

The form should tell you which parts are optional - otherwise many employers gather this information routinely now, so they can prove that they don't operate discriminatory practice.

[kebabuk]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. It is a housing application form and although I have seen the tick boxes for White, Black, Asian before, we now have Irish Traveller, Gypsy Traveller, Traveller, Black British, Asian British and I feel that we are all being pigeon holed into smaller and smaller boxes and the only use I can see for the info is to fill quotas which leads to discrimination.

[woofgang]

well the official guidance (I know, used to administer and collate the forms for the NHS) is to put the ethnic background that you feel yourself to be. So you could have a punt on what you feel most likely to get yourself a house!!! but there should be a declined to answer or none of the above box as well.