§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the principal recommendations were of the 1993 report of the Commission for Racial Equality on the housing policies and practice pursued by Oldham council; and what provisions were made for the monitoring of the five-year plan agreed between Oldham council and the CRE. [2276]
§ Angela EagleThe Commission for Racial Equality entered into a three-year agreement with Oldham council, in which the council undertook to implement the following recommendations: to make sure that the council's policies, procedures and practices (written and unwritten) used to assess housing applications and for allocating properties were appropriate for meeting housing need, and were consistently applied; to monitor all offers and allocations of housing, classified by ethnic origin of applicant, the estate and quality of property; and to keep the Commission for Racial equality fully informed.
The council also undertook to develop and carry out a training programme for councillors and housing department staff on the Race Relations Act 1976.
Oldham metropolitan borough council submitted six monthly progress reports to the Commission for Racial Equality. The Commission received the final ethnic monitoring report, required as part of the agreement, in December 1996 and was content.