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| Agencies 'happy to discriminate' | Agencies 'happy to discriminate' |
| (about 15 hours later) | |
| Letting agents and employment agencies in the west of England are willing to discriminate against ethnic minority groups, a BBC investigation has found. | Letting agents and employment agencies in the west of England are willing to discriminate against ethnic minority groups, a BBC investigation has found. |
| Of 30 temping agencies contacted by an Inside Out West researcher, 25 agreed to a request for a receptionist job to be offered only to white workers. | Of 30 temping agencies contacted by an Inside Out West researcher, 25 agreed to a request for a receptionist job to be offered only to white workers. |
| Seventeen out of 30 letting agencies also agreed to discriminate. | Seventeen out of 30 letting agencies also agreed to discriminate. |
| Industry representatives said the findings were "unacceptable" and they would take action. | Industry representatives said the findings were "unacceptable" and they would take action. |
| Professor Tariq Modood, of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, said: "I'm surprised how many people were willing to go along with a very blatant suggestion of discrimination. | Professor Tariq Modood, of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, said: "I'm surprised how many people were willing to go along with a very blatant suggestion of discrimination. |
| "Past surveys have tended to suggest maybe a third of people will discriminate and you have found that it is greater than that." | "Past surveys have tended to suggest maybe a third of people will discriminate and you have found that it is greater than that." |
| 'Racial motivations' | 'Racial motivations' |
| Posing as a landlord with a two-bedroom house to rent out, the researcher told the letting agents not to show it to anyone from an ethnic minority background. | Posing as a landlord with a two-bedroom house to rent out, the researcher told the letting agents not to show it to anyone from an ethnic minority background. |
| A spokeswoman for the Association of Residential Letting Agents, the regulatory body for the industry, said: "A lettings agent simply cannot assist a landlord with refusing a tenant due to racial motivations. | A spokeswoman for the Association of Residential Letting Agents, the regulatory body for the industry, said: "A lettings agent simply cannot assist a landlord with refusing a tenant due to racial motivations. |
| We would expect agencies to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to Tom Hadley - Recruitment and Employment Confederation | We would expect agencies to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to Tom Hadley - Recruitment and Employment Confederation |
| "Our code of conduct makes it very clear that any form of discrimination is unacceptable and will not be tolerated." | "Our code of conduct makes it very clear that any form of discrimination is unacceptable and will not be tolerated." |
| The researcher also posed as an employer who wanted a temporary receptionist, but insisted the person had to be white. | The researcher also posed as an employer who wanted a temporary receptionist, but insisted the person had to be white. |
| Among those who agreed to the request was one agency worker who said: "That's fine. You are not allowed to say it but, no, we certainly hear what you say. That's not a problem." | Among those who agreed to the request was one agency worker who said: "That's fine. You are not allowed to say it but, no, we certainly hear what you say. That's not a problem." |
| Tom Hadley, of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: "We would expect agencies within the REC membership to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to - because that is how seriously we take this particular issue. | Tom Hadley, of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: "We would expect agencies within the REC membership to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to - because that is how seriously we take this particular issue. |
| "It shows there's still a lot of work we need to do. We will not tolerate this kind of discriminatory behaviour." | "It shows there's still a lot of work we need to do. We will not tolerate this kind of discriminatory behaviour." |
| The full story features on Inside Out West on BBC One in the West region at 1930 GMT on Wednesday. | |
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| Race discrimination in region |
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