§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the total costs of the Equal Opportunities Commission is met by public funds in the current year; and how this compares with the position in each year since its formation.
§ Mr. RaisonVirtually all the commission's expenditure is met by grant-in-aid. On only one occasion, in the financial year 1976–77, has its income from other sources exceeded ½ per cent. of its total expenditure. Details of the income received in the current financial year will not be available until the end of that year.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reduction there has been in the costs to public funds of the Equal Opportunities Commission since May 1979.
§ Mr. RaisonThe grant-in-aid for the Equal Opportunities Commission in 1979–80 was £0.45 million lower than the provision made in the Supply Estimates published in March 1979 and reflected substantial savings on staff and other items. The provision made in the Supply Estimates for the present financial year is the same, in real terms, as the revised estimated expenditure of the commission for 1979–80.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much the Equal Opportunities Commission has overspent or underspent its budget in each year since its formation.
§ Mr. RaisonThe Equal Opportunities Commission, which came into operation in December 1975, has underspent its approved provision by the following amounts:
£ 1975–76 150,130 1976–77 164,570 1977–78 116,301 1978–79 272,805 1979–80 *104,891 * Estimated.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost to public funds in the current year of the Equal Opportunities Commission; and whether he is satisfied that its current expenditure is in line with its budget.
§ Mr. RaisonThe cost of the Equal Opportunities Commission in the present financial year will not be known until the end of that year, but the provision nude in the Supply Estimates is £2.71 million at outturn prices. We have no reason to believe that there will be any corresponding or significant underspending.
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§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost to public funds of the Equal Opportunities Commission since its formation.
§ Mr. RaisonThe Equal Opportunities Commission came into operation in December 1975. The total costs up to 31 March 1980 have been approximately £6.2 million.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the rateable values of offices and premises occupied by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand that the rateable values of the accommodation occupied by the Equal Opportunities Commission at its four offices are:
£ Manchester 38,451 London 13,355 Cardiff 1,359 Glasgow 2,483
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sum has been spent by the Equal Opportunities Commission on advertising for, and recruitment of, staff since May 1979.
§ Mr. RaisonThis is a matter for the Equal Opportunities Commission. I understand that in the financial year 1979–80 the commission spent £7,793 on recruiting staff; in the current financial year it has allocated £5,700 for this purpose.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sum has been spent by the Equal Opportunites Commission on publicity and advertising since May 1979.
§ Mr. RaisonThis is a matter for the Equal Opportunities Commission. I understand that in the financial year 1979–80 the commission spent £269,197 on the preparation and distribution of publications and on advertising; in the current year it has allocated £186,450 for this purpose.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports and publications he has received from the Equal Opportunities Commission since May 1979; and on what subjects.
§ Mr. RaisonWe receive and lay before Parliament the annual reports required by statute. We also sent copies of. documents published by the Equal Opportunities Commission, many of which are press releases. The cost of listing and summarising the contents of these would be disproportionate.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal staff are currently employed by the Equal Opportunities Commission; and whether they were recruited from within the Civil Service or from outside.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand that the Equal Opportunities Commission currently employs four legally qualified staff in its legal section, all of whom were recruited from outside the Civil Service.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what economies are to be made in the 524W expenditure of the Equal Opportunities Commission since the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement of 24 November.
§ Mr. RaisonNo decisions have yet been taken on the future level of the commission's funding. These will depend upon the prevailing economic circumstances and the Government's determination to reduce the volume of public expenditure.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks he makes on how the public funds granted to the Equal Opportunities Commission are spent.
§ Mr. RaisonThe commission is an independent public body and as such is responsible for the detailed allocation of its budget. Its annual accounts are subject to examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of staff currently employed by the Equal Opportunities Commission; and how this number compares with each year since its formation.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand that at 30 November 1980 there were 174 staff employed by the commission, of whom 19 were engaged on a part-time basis. The numbers employed on 30 November of previous years were:
- 1976—99 staff (including 5 on a part-time basis)
- 1977—123 staff (including 7 on a part-time basis)
- 1978—134 staff (including 11 on a part-time basis)
- 1979—148 staff (including 11 on a part-time basis)