A/56/253 “The Government of the United Kingdom is taking the problem of religious discrimination very seriously. It will introduce legislation to outlaw it in employment and training. A question on religious identity will be included in this year’s census. And we are awaiting research findings to help inform our thinking about other ways of tackling the problem. There is also protection under the new Human Rights Act. “The Government will be introducing legislation that outlaws discrimination in the workplace and in training on the grounds of religion by autumn 2003. This will implement the provisions of a European directive that was agreed in October last year. “The Government is alive to the concerns that have been expressed about the issue of religious discrimination in other areas and to the case for it to be made subject to the law. This issue raises many difficult, sensitive and complex questions. There is no ‘quick fix’ solution. “We commissioned research to assess the current scale and nature of religious discrimination, and the extent to which it overlaps with racial discrimination, in England and Wales. We also commissioned research into the policy options for tackling the problem. “We expect to publish the research findings in the first quarter of this year. These will inform our thinking about other ways of tackling the problem. “The UK Government has been in direct communication with the Islamic Human Rights Commission about their questionnaire and report. We took careful note of the findings; however, the results need to be treated with considerable caution, as they extrapolate from a response rate of less than 2 per cent. “Education for Muslim students (such as alleged exclusion from, or discrimination within, educational establishments because of the performance of religious requirements; the alleged lack of clear guidelines and procedures by the Department for Education and Employment to deal with complaints in that area) “Government policy is that pupils from ethnic or religious minorities should have the same opportunity as all others to benefit from what schools can offer them. Low expectations, intolerance, prejudice and racism have no place whatsoever in our schools or educational institutions. Schools should aim to preserve and transmit our national values in a way that accepts Britain’s ethnic and religious diversity and promotes understanding and racial harmony. “The Department will be introducing a statutory programme of study for citizenship for all 11-16-year-olds from September 2002 as part of the National Curriculum. This programme will ensure that for the first time, 11-14-year-old pupils will be taught about ‘diversity of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding’; 14-16-year-olds will be taught about ‘the origins and implications of the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding’. “Head teachers have a legal duty to take measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. We have updated and re-issued our “Anti-Bullying 66