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Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Answer

The Commission for Equality and Human Rights Steering Group was an advisory body to Government made up of key stakeholders including representatives of the equality commissions, the new equality strands and human rights, business, the TUC and Scottish and Welsh interests. Its main role was to advise on the work needed to establish the CEHR as a fully functioning organisation. It also provided a mechanism for the Government to keep stakeholders abreast of developments towards the Equality Act and seek views as appropriate. Meetings are usually held monthly.Details of steering group membership are given in the following table.The steering group members were in post for slightly more than two years, as the group was set up in September 2004 and disbanded on 17 October 2006 in light of the appointment of Commissioners for the CEHR. When it was first set up it was chaired by a senior DTI official and later by Meg Munn MP, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality.

Steering group members
Name	Background
Nick O’Brien,	Director of Legal Services, Disability Rights Commission.
Anne Watts OBE	Member of Business in the Community—an umbrella organisation of 700 UK companies—leading its work on workplace issues. Formerly Head of Diversity and Employee Support at HSBC Bank plc.
Sarah Veale	Head of Equality and Employment Rights Department, TUC. Member of ACAS Council and the Government’s Better Regulation Task Force.
Tim Hopkins	Head of Equality Network which campaigns for human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Scotland.
Teresa Rees CBE	Academic at Cardiff University specialising in gender inequality in fields such as education, training and the labour market. Former EOC Commissioner for Wales, long-term consultant to EC and adviser to Welsh Assembly Government in its commitment to pay due regard to equality of opportunity for all.
Ilyas Patel	Member DTI Small Business Council since July 2004. Involved in a number of DTI led business-think tanks and advisory committees.
Hanne Stinson	Executive Director of the British Humanist Association.
Francesca Klug OBE	Professorial Research Fellow and Director of Human Rights Futures at the London School of Economics. Speciality is the Human Rights Act and domestic human rights protection generally.
Gordon Lishman OBE	Director General of Age Concern England (ACE).
Mohammed Aziz	Founding Chief Executive Officer of Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism and British Muslim Research Centre. CRE commissioner since January 2004 and EOC Commissioner from spring 2005. Adviser to Muslim Council of Britain.
Caroline Slocock	Chief Executive, EOC.
Faz Hakim	Director of Corporate and Government Relations, Commission for Racial Equality.
Ben Summerskill	Chief Executive of Stonewall.
Rita Donaghy OBE	Chair of ACAS’s Council since 2000. 30 years experience working in employment relations. Member of the Low Pay Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission Task Force and chaired the TUC Disabilities Forum. In 2004 appointed to the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

454 c963-5W;454 c967-9W; 105135

Session

2006-07

Subjects

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk