Equality bodies

The UK commissions work with reasonable effectiveness and operational independence, although the EHRC has suffered a series of highly publicised internal disagreements and conflicts. Problematic, as regards the perceived independence of the EHRC, in particular, is the fact that the re-appointment of the current Chair of that Committee, Trevor Phillips, in July 2009 was secured by Government Minister Harriet Harman without either open competition or Parliamentary scrutiny and despite the resignation of six commissioners because of disagreements with the Chair. The Joint Committee on Human Rights warned, in March 2010, that “The minister's decision simply to reappoint Mr Phillips without any parliamentary involvement could undermine the perceived independence of the commission and put its accreditation as a national human rights institution at risk.” It was reported in November 2010 that the Equality and Human Rights Commission “has had to agree to a cut in its annual budget of 55%” (to £32 million) as a result of existing and planned cuts to government expenditure in the wake of the May 2010 general election.[1]

The EOR reports a “statement on 14 October from the EHRC’s sponsoring department, the Government Equalities Office, which says that the Commission will be “radically reformed”.

It explains that “the EHRC’s work will be refocused on its core functions of regulating equality and anti-discrimination law in Great Britain, of fulfilling EU equality requirements and of being a National Human Rights Institution.” Staff are to be reduced significantly, in particular “the proposed new structure will remove many of the posts dealing with the public, such as caseworkers, advisers, policy officers, grants officers and regional staff, although a new layer of very senior staff will be created”, and the Government is “considering the scope for transferring some of EHRC’s functions and services to government departments or contracting with private or voluntary sector bodies to undertake them.”