Year Against Racism (Hansard, 20 January 1997)

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received in relation to the EC's Year Against Racism, and from whom. [11213]

§ Mr. Kirkhope
The Department has received many inquiries of many different kinds about aspects of the European year from a wide range of organisations and individuals and has established a database of several hundred names.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives are planned as the United Kingdom's contribution to the European Year Against Racism. [11211]

§ Mr. Kirkhope
The first major event of the year will take place on 28 January, when the Secretary of State for Employment and Education and Sir Herman Ouseley, the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, will be jointly hosting a conference to promote the business case for race equality. We shall then be launching the year formally in February. Other activities are being planned throughout the year, both by Government and by a wide range of other organisations. These are being collated into a calendar of events which will be widely disseminated in due course.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department is the lead Department for the United Kingdom's contribution to the EC's 1997 Year Against Racism. [11214]

§ Mr. Kirkhope
Yes.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations his Department has held with groups and organisations in the voluntary sector, and with local authority associations about the European Year Against Racism. [11210]

§ Mr. Kirkhope
In addition to informal contacts, we have set up a national co-ordinating committee which I am chairing personally. The committee met for the first time on 2 December and meets again on 26 February. The following organisations have been invited on to the committee: the Commission for Racial Equality; Association of County Councils; Association of District Councils; Association of Metropolitan Authorities; British Phonographic Industry; Confederation of British Industry; Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Interfaith Network; Race for Opportunity; Runnymede Trust; SIA; Trades Union Congress; training and enterprise councils; Welsh Local Government Association; Home Office; Department for Education and Employment; Department of Health; Department of the Environment; and Northern Ireland Office. Lady Flather, the United Kingdom member of the European Union Consultative Committee on Racism and Xenophobia, is also a member of the committee.
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§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department has made available with regard to the activities surrounding the EC's designation of 1997 as a Year Against Racism; and what sums have been set aside for such activity. [11212]

§ Mr. Kirkhope
I am pleased to say that the European year has generated an enormous amount of interest in the United Kingdom and my Department has responded to a large number of inquiries. We have also disseminated widely the newsletter produced by the European Commission. We are providing specific funding to the Commission for Racial Equality to run a helpline and information service for the year and the first United Kingdom newsletter will be issued very shortly to the lists of contacts collated by the Home Office and the Commission for Racial Equality.
In addition, Government Departments will mark the year in appropriate ways, although no specific central budget has been set aside for this purpose.
The European Commission has set aside a budget of 4.7 million ecu to stimulate action and involvement in the year. We expect the Commission to announce details shortly of how organisations in member states can apply for this funding.