The CBI has welcomed the launch of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) and emphasised employers' commitment to diversity and equality.

Susan Anderson, director of HR policy for the CBI, says: "We have come a long way since the setting up of the first equality commissions. The equal pay gap has shrunk from 34% in 1970 to 13% today, disabled people are almost twice as likely to be in work than they were 20 years ago and the British workplace is more ethnically diverse than ever. New rights on age, sexual orientation and religious belief have also been successfully introduced."

The CBI is calling on the new body to make high quality information, advice and guidance on promoting diversity in the workplace its first priority. Over 1,000 pages of guidance were churned out by the Commission's predecessor bodies dealing with sex, race and disability rights, making it exceptionally hard for firms, especially smaller ones without dedicated HR teams, who want to do the right thing.
 
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