Hansard

Equal Opportunities Commission

Volume 684: debated on Friday 14 July 2006

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Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why they have reduced the budget of the Equal Opportunities Commission.[HL6792]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government
(Baroness Andrews)

All government departments are under financial pressure and this has resulted in some non-departmental public bodies facing a reduced funding allocation. However the Equal Opportunities Commission baseline budget allocation of just over £8 million (£8,005,000) for 2006-07 has not been reduced. Additional funding of £1 million has been promised, of which £500,000 is ring fenced for gender equality duty.

Last year 2005-06 the Department of Trade and Industry provided additional funding of £1.75 million to cover specific one-off items including genderduty, transition to the Commission for Equalityand Human Rights and a new general formal investigation.