HC Deb 07 April 1978 vol 947 cc220-6W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish details of the boards, commissions, committees or other types of organisations established by his Department since October 1974, giving in each case the purpose of the organisation, the chairman's and members' salaries and expenses, and the total cost of the organisation for each year since 1974.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The information is as follows:

Name of body Life Purpose Chairman's and members' salaries or fees, where applicable* Cost (where readily identifiable)
Advisory Group on the Law of Rape July 1975—November 1975 To give urgent consideration to the law of rape in the light of recent public concern and to advise the Home Secretary whether early changes in the law are desirable — —
Policy Advisory Committee on Sexual Offences 1975 To look into and advise on the age of consent in relation to sexual offences and such other issues arising during the Criminal Law Revision Committee's review of sexual offences as may be referred to them by the Home Secretary or that Committee — —
Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship 1977 To review the laws concerning obscenity, indecency and violence in publications, displays and entertainments in England and Wales, except in the field of broadcasting, and to review the arrangements for film censorship in England and Wales; and to make recommendations — —
Working Party on Judicial Training and Information† 1975 To review the machinery for disseminating information about the penal system and matters related to the treatment of offenders; to review the scope and content of training, and the methods whereby it is provided; and to make recommendations — —
Equal Opportunities Commission 1975 To secure effective enforcement of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 in the public interest, and to promote equal opportunities between the sexes and the elimination of discrimination Chairman: £10,808 p.a. (full-time) Deputy Chairman: £7,521 p.a. (full-time) Part-time Commissioners: daily attendance fee of £17 1975–76 (part year) £118,870 1976–77 £850,429 1977–78 £1,577,000 (estimated)
Commission for Racial Equality 1977 To secure effective enforcement of the Race Relations Act 1975 and to promote good relations between people of different racial groups Chairman: £12,808 p.a. (full-time) Deputy Chairman: £8,520 p.a. (full-time) Part-time Commissioners: daily attendance fee of £17 1977–78 (part year) £3,712,000 (estimated)
Advisory Council on Race Relations 1977 To advise the Home Secretary on all aspects of the development and implementation of race relations policies — —

Name of body Life Purpose Chairman's and members, salaries or fees, where applicable* Cost (where readily identifiable)
Race Relations Research Advisory Committee 1976 To review research in progress relevant to race relations and to the efficacy of policies to promote equality of opportunity for ethnic minorities in Great Britain; to consider the needs for further research of this kind; and to make recommendations — —
Police Complaints Board 1977 To provide an independent element in the handling of complaints by members of the public against the police Vice-Chairman:† £8,708 p.a. (full-time) Full-time member:† £8,020 p.a. Part-time members: fee of £4 per case and daily attendance fee of £21 1977–78: £300,000 (estimated)
Committee of Inquiry on the Police 1977 To review police pay negotiating machinery; to establish the basis of police pay; to promote into the constitution and functions of the police staff associations; and to make recommendations Members (excluding the Chairman): daily fee of £23 Approximately £43,000 date
A Parliamentary Group on the feasibility and usefulness of a register of dependants 1976–77 To look into the feasibility and usefulness of a register with all the problems and evidence available to them from official sources — £6,510 (including cost printing and publishing)
Siberry Working Party 1974–75 To work out on the basis of the recommendations of the Crawford Committee on Broadcasting Coverage (Cmnd. 5774) specific proposals for a Welsh language television service to be provided on the fourth channel in Wales and to give estimates of the cost and of the timing of such a project — £11,900 (including cost printing and publishing
Data Protection Committee 1976 To advise the Government on the permanent control machinery needed to secure that all existing and future computer systems holding personal information, in both the private and public sectors, are operated with appropriate safeguards for privacy; and to consider and refine the objectives to be incorporated in legislation establishing permanent safeguards — —

Name of body Life Purpose Chairman's and members' salaries or fees, where applicable* Cost (where readily identifiable)
Standing Committee on Probation Manpower Needs 1977 To advise on the recruitment needs of the Probation and After-Care Service — —
Advisory Committee on radio-interference from electrical household appliances, portable tools and similar equipment 1977–78 To advise on the making of Regulations for the control of radio interference from electrical household appliances, portable tools and other equipment — —
Advisory Committee on radio interference from fluorescent lighting 1977–78 To advise on the making of Regulations for the control of radio interference from fluorescent of radio interference from fluorescent lighting —
* Travelling and subsistence expenses are paid as appropriate.
† Appointed jointly with the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice.