§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment when approval was given by the Manpower Services Commission to a job creation scheme grant of £60,000 to the Ananda Marga sect; who was present when the decision was taken; who is the sponsor of the application; and what investigations were made into the sect's activities before approval was given.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that grants totalling £70,514 have been allocated under the job creation programme to a project sponsored by Mr. Hambi Haralambous of Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha for the conversion for community use of an old theatre in Liverpool. The first phase of the project was approved on 6th October 1976 and the second on 9th March 1977. It is not the practice of the Commission to publish names of those present at JCP action committee meetings.
Local inquiries were carried out to satisfy the action committee that the criteria for approval were satisfied.