The Commission for Racial Equality is to formally investigate the Department of Health for not complying with its duties to promote racial equality, it announced yesterday.
The CRE said it had reason to believe the DH was not meeting its obligations to assess new policies for their impact on race equality, by carrying out race equality impact assessments.
These are mandatory for public bodies under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
Last August, the CRE said the DH had "probably the worst" race equality record in Whitehall despite well-documented racial inequalities in health and social care services and outcomes.
It then threatened to use its formal investigatory powers if the department could not explain itself, and has decided to do so following correspondence between the two organisations.