Plans are afoot for the Commission for Racial Equality (CURE) to be dissolved and absorbed by the Human Rights Commission (HRC).

No jobs will be lost in the take over, which was first mooted in the Throne Speech last November. Government then announced a review of CURE would be undertaken this year.

"For some time now, this Government has noted with concern that there has been and continues to be a lack of progress in eliminating racial discrimination in Bermuda," Culture Minister Neletha Butterfield said at a press conference yesterday.

"Accordingly, a pledge was made in the 2009 speech from the Throne to undertake a thorough review of CURE, with a view to finding a new mechanism to address an issue that continues to plague this community."

The Minister said the Human Rights Act 1981 will be amended in the current session of Parliament for all of CURE's responsibilities to be transferred to the HRC. And the Government will repeal the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality Act 1994 and the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality Amendment Act of 2005.

CURE chairperson Michelle Scott Outerbridge yesterday gave her support to the move.

"While the entity that is CURE will no longer exist, the significance and relevance of its mandate remains; and the urgency in providing efficient and effective public services in the field of human rights and racial equality is driving forward the present changes," she said.

"Existing partnerships between CURE and the many dedicated individuals and organisations in the school, international business, and non-governmental community, in the pursuit of racial equality, will be maintained and, hopefully, strengthened under the new [HRC]."

Ms Butterfield said the change will be the first step towards providing Bermuda with a "modern solution to address our historical inequities".

"Further steps towards this end will involve thorough review and restructuring of the [HRC] and reform of human rights legislation.

"The goal is to create a 21st century [HRC] that has responsibility for both education and enforcement components, and which will move Bermuda closer towards the elimination of racial discrimination and institutionalised racial discrimination as part of its overall mandate."

Governor Sir Richard Gozney said in the 2009 Throne Speech: "What the Government sees as a lack of progress in this area means that some new vehicle must be found to address an issue that continues to plague this community.

"Therefore CURE will undergo a thorough review and with effect from January 1, 2010, its data collection function will be assumed by the Department of Statistics.

"The perennial findings are predictable and well known. A modern solution with appropriate policy framework must be found to address the historical inequities, which have become more than a trend."

Ms Butterfield said CURE's mandate is primarily "education focused" and is not enforcement oriented. "CURE has the authority, with the approval of the Minister, to issue codes of practice in relation to its mandate. However, the CURE act does not provide CURE with powers of investigation or enforcement in matters of redressing racism which this Government feels is a very important role that is not currently being fulfilled."

She continued: "The review of CURE included an analysis of both the CURE act and the Human Rights act and revealed that some of CURE's functions are indeed very similar to those of the Human Rights Commission. It was concluded that the best approach is to consolidate the functions of cure under the Human Rights Commission."

CURE has worked for the past 16 years towards the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity. Its services included monitoring trends in the workforce, identifying and eliminating institutional patterns of discrimination and implementing community education strategies to increase awareness and understanding of race relations.