Commission For Racial Equality

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the terms of reference of the Welsh consultative committee of the Commission for Racial Equality.

I am informed that the terms of reference of the Welsh consultative committee are as follows:

A. To provide a forum for consultation on policy issues referred to them by the Commission;

B. to raise, discuss and refer to the Commission for determination, policy issues which they feel the Commission should be considering;

C. in particular, to provide through discussion an insight into the effectiveness of the Commission's service delivery in the region as perceived by the consumers; and

D. to meet no more than three times a year for the purposes set out above.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the members of the Commission for Racial Equality are designated as having special responsibilities, either on a geographical or functional basis; and if he will list these in the Official Report.

I understand from the chairman of the commission that the allocation of special geographical responsibilities is as follows:

Mr. Lincoln Crawford: the south of England
Mrs. Shreela Flather: Wales
Mr. Alan Gayton: the east midlands
Dr. Farrukh Hashmi: the west midlands
Miss Ethel Houston: Scotland
Mr. Gursharan Singh Sarang: the north-west
Mr. Gerald Tyler: the north-east

The commission has four functional sub-committees whose membership is as follows:

Field Services Committee

Miss Ethel Houston
Mrs. Lily Khan
Mr. William Morris
Mr. Clifton Robinson (Chairman)
Mr. Gursharan Singh Sarang

Complaints Committee

Mr. Lincoln Crawford
Mr. E. Gilmour Jones
Mrs. Lily Khan
Mr. William Morris (Chairman)
Mr. Clifton Robinson
Mr. Gerald Tyler

Employment Committee

Mr. Alan Gayton (Chairman)
Mr. Kenneth Gill
Professor Bhiku Parekh
Mr. Clifton Robinson
Mr. Gursharan Singh Sarang
Mr. Keith Whitesides

Education, Housing and Services Committee

Mr. Lincoln Crawford
Mrs. Shreela Flather (Chairman)
Dr. Farrukh Hashmi
Professor Bhiku Parekh
Mr. Clifton Robinson
Mr. Gerald Tyler

Individual commissioners may also take responsibility for the conduct of particular formal investigations undertaken by the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the names of the members of the Welsh consultative committee of the Commission for Racial Equality together with the dates on which they were appointed and the duration of their period on this committee.

I understand that members of the commission's Welsh consultative committee are initially appointed for periods of two years, but that they may then be reappointed at the discretion of the commission. I am informed that the current membership of the committee is as follows:

Name	First appointed
Councillor Mrs. S. Flather (Chairman)	June 1981
Mr. J. Carlile	June 1981
Mr. S. Clarke	June 1981
Dr. H. Cohen	June 1981
Mr. J. Davies	June 1981
Councillor Mrs. J. Lysaght	June 1981
Mr. A. Matthews	Summer 1982
Mr. R. Mooneeran	June 1981
Mr. N. Ramanadan	June 1981
Mr. D. Seligman	June 1981
Mr. V. White MBE	June 1981
*Mr. D. M. Rolph	June 1981
Mr. P. Jones	November 1984
Mr. B. Ashley	April 1984
Insp. C. Francis	November 1984
* Mr. D. M. Rolph represents the Welsh Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many instances during the past 12 months he has met community leaders from Wales to discuss the working of the Commission for Racial Equality in Wales.

Neither I nor my right hon. Friend have had such meetings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Commission for Racial Equality set up its Welsh consultative committee.

I understand that the Welsh consultative committee of the Commission for Racial Equality first met on 16 June 1981.

Volume 87: debated on Tuesday 19 November 1985