§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants will be employed in the Equal Opportunities Commission in the year 1976–77; and how many he expects to employ in 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe staff of the Equal Opportunities Commission are appointed by the Commission and as such they are not civil servants. Approval has been given for an initial complement of 98 posts of which 67 have been filled. Thirty-one of these are held by civil servants who have volunteered to serve the Commission on secondment for a period of two years. Additional staff will be needed as the work of the Commission develops, but it is too early to estimate staff requirements for the years in question. It is estimated that when the Commission is fully operational the staff requirement will be about 400.