§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what were the conclusions of the Fair Employment Commission on the areas from which the work force of Howden Sirocco is drawn; which of those areas were omitted from the catchment area on which the quotas were set for applications and appointees; and what was the reason for the omission of each of those areas;
(2) how many of the employees of the Sunblest bakery at Orby Link, Castlereagh, were found by the Fair Employment Commission to be drawn from the district council areas of North Down and Ards;
(3) in how many of the cases setting the quotas for applicants and appointees specified in the affirmative action programmes published by the Fair Employment Commission in June, the commission omitted the requirement that all appointments will be made on the basis of merit; and for what reasons in each case;
(4) which district council areas were omitted in the affirmative action programme published by the Fair Employment Commission in June for the Sunblest bakery at Orby Link, Castlereagh from the catchment area on which the quotas set for applications and appointees are based; and for what reason in each case.
§ Mr. Tim SmithThis is primarily a matter for the Fair Employment Commission. I am satisfied that in agreeing affirmative action programmes with firms, the Fair Employment Commissioin acts with due regard to all the circumstances of each particular case. The content of those agreements and the data upon which they are based are a matter for the Commission and the firms concerned. Under fair employment legislation, quotas are unlawful but there694W is provision for setting goals and timetables—that is, targets that firms would expect and should make good faith efforts, to reach within a certain time scale.