Written question asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Scotland of Asthal (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 December 2005.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Question: Whether they will reconsider their decision to establish the headquarters of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights in Manchester rather than in London.

Answer: The Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will be located in Manchester and London, with the majority of staff in Manchester and a significant presence in London. There will also be offices in Glasgow and Cardiff to cover the CEHR activities in Scotland and Wales. The CEHR will also have a regional presence across Great Britain to enable it to carry out its work, either directly or in partnership with local communities.This decision followed a comprehensive independent study that examined a number of options. An equality impact assessment and a race equality impact assessment were also carried out on all the location options identified in the study. Ministers have commissioned further detailed work on how the staff and the various functions of the CEHR are to be split between the two main locations. All the existing commissions will be fully engaged in this task.

Secondary information