Reform of the Equality and Human Rights
Commission
New Service
The Government announced in March that it
proposed to commission a new service providing high quality
information and bespoke advice (but not legal advice) to potential
victims of discrimination and human rights abuses. In a Prior
Information Notice [http://www.publictenders.net/tender/105864]
published in the Official Journal of the EU on 27 May the
Government announced that it would hold an event to provide
information for potential suppliers about the proposed procurement.
This event took place in Birmingham on 15 June. The slides for the
presentation are available here.
A list of suppliers' contact details from the EHRC New
Service event.
An audio recording of both speakers along with a record of the
answers given to questions asked at the event will be made
available online, as soon as technically possible, by
1st July. The Government plans to issue a contract
notice in July and an invitation to tender in September.
The Equality and Human Rights
Commission
The Consultation
document sets out plans to reform the Equality and Human
Rights Commission to ensure the EHRC focuses on its core regulatory
activities. The consultation is now closed.
Easy Read
An 'Easy Read' version of the consultation document can be found
at the link
below.
We have also completed an Equality Impact
Assessment and a Regulatory Impact Assessment which can be found
below.
If you would like to contact Government
Equalities Office, or would like to request alterative formats of
documents, please email: ehrc.reform@geo.gsi.gov.uk.
Because of concerns about the reach,
effectiveness and value for money of the Commission’s provision of
equality information, advice and support, which are delivered
through a helpline for individuals and strategic and legal grants
programmes, a separate review of these activities was carried out
by GEO to inform the Spending Review. In light of that
review, the Government has decided to stop funding the Commission’s
provision of its helpline and grants programmes from 31 March 2012
– when the Commission’s existing grants programmes are due to come
to a natural end. Today, we have also published our report
into the provision of advice, support and information, which sets
out the evidence that helped inform those decisions.
We carried out Equality Impact Assessments for
the two aspects that our review focused on:
If you would like to contact Government
Equalities Office regarding our report into the provision of
advice, support and information, you can email us at: infoAdviceSupport@geo.gsi.gov.uk