BUDGET FOR EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

That this House is alarmed at the planned 25 per cent cut to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) budget announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review; notes that the EHRC has brought together the knowledge and experience of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission; further notes that the EHRC has suffered cuts to its funding of nearly 70 per cent since 2010; regrets that these cuts have already resulted in the loss of over 300 staff, including 60 specialist advisers providing expert advice to victims of discrimination; is opposed to the EHRC plans to make staff compulsorily redundant in response at a time when hate crime and discrimination is on a steep rise; believes that the EHRC should play a unique role in delivering the Government's new action plan to tackle hate crime; and calls on the Government urgently to invest in the future of this invaluable service.