§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will institute an inquiry to ascertain whether the Equal Opportunities Commission is applying its equal opportunities policy to its own organisation, including staffing, where, according to the latest Equal Opportunities Commission annual report, women outnumber men by a ratio of more than four to one.
§ Lord HenleyThe Equal Opportunities Commission operates an equal opportunities policy and keeps it under review. An equal opportunity statement is placed in all advertisements for posts. The commission's recruitment practices are designed to ensure that no groups are unfairly excluded from applying for posts and that appointments are made solely on merit. The Government, therefore, see no need to institute any such inquiry.