This snapshot, taken on
22/09/2011
, shows web content acquired for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search may not work in archived websites and contact details are likely to be out of date.
 
 
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Equality and Human Rights Commission

The Equality and Human Rights Commission promotes and monitors equality and human rights, providing institutional support for the Human Rights Act.

The Government Equalities Office sponsors the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

About the Equality and Human Rights Commission

The EHRC was set up by the Equality Act 2006 to bring a new, inclusive approach to promoting equality and human rights and provide more effective support for discrimination legislation. It also promotes equality and tackles discrimination in relation to sexual orientation, age, and religion or belief.

The EHRC is charged with the promotion and protection of human rights, providing institutional support for the Human Rights Act.

The Commission’s equalities work covers England, Scotland and Wales. However, Scotland has its own Human Rights Commission.

The EHRC replaced the Disability Rights Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality.

More on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website.

EHRC Sponsor Team

The EHRC Sponsor Team in the GEO manages the administrative relationship between the EHRC and the government, including ministers. This covers:

  • the provision of the grant in aid and how it is spent
  • ensuring issues of regularity, propriety and value for money are met within government guidelines
  • working with the Commission so that it can carry out its role effectively

More detail is available in the Government Equalities Office and Equality and Human rights commission framework document.

Reform

Consultation

On 22 March 2011 we launched a consultation to reform the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The consultation closed on 15 June 2011.

Review

We carried out a separate review of the Commission’s provision of equality information, advice and support to inform the Spending Review. This was conducted due to concerns about reach, effectiveness and value for money of these, which are delivered through a helpline for individuals and strategic and legal grants programmes. 

In light of that review, the government 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. You can read the report of of the provision of EHRC Information, Advice and Support which sets out the evidence that helped inform those decisions. 

If you would like to contact us regarding this report into the provision of advice, support and information, email us at: infoAdviceSupport@geo.gsi.gov.uk .

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. 

Event

We ran an event to provide information for potential suppliers about the proposed procurement in Birmingham on 15 June. This was announced in a Prior Information Notice published in the Official Journal of the EU on 27 May 2011.

The Government plans to issue a contract notice in July and an invitation to tender in September.

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