Marine policy and equalities legislation: myths busted
Defra officials had already concluded that the Marine Policy Statement complied with the Equalities Act 2010.
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The myth - The Mail on Sunday and Daily Express claim that Defra paid £100,000 to consultants to test whether the draft Marine Policy Statement discriminated against minorities.
The truth - A number of assessments were carried out across a range of policies, as required under environmental legislation.
Defra officials had already concluded that the Marine Policy Statement complied with the Equalities Act 2010 and did not require a full equalities impact assessment. Defra did not spend £100,000 to find this out.