§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the task force set up to advise them on the governance and structure of the proposed Equality and Human Rights Commission will include a representative of the Commission of Racial Equality; and, if not, why not; and [HL587]
Whether the task force set up to advise them on the governance and structure of the proposed Equality and Human Rights Commission will include a representative of the interests of atheists and agnostics as well as adherents of religions; and, if not, why not; and [HL588]
Whether the task force set up to advise them on the governance and structure of the proposed Equality and Human Rights Commission will include a representative of the interests of gay and lesbian people; and, if not, why not. [HL589]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville)The Government announced the membership of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights Task Force on 11 December 2003. The membership includes a range of equalities and human rights interests, as well as representatives from business, the public sector and trade unions.
The task force membership includes a representative from Stonewall, reflecting experience and expertise from the lesbian and gay communities, a 60WA representative from the British Humanist Association, reflecting the interests of those with non-religious or philosophical beliefs, and a representative from the Commission for Racial Equality.