By Tash Shifrin
4 March 2010
The troubled Equalities and Human Rights Commission has been slammed by MPs, just weeks after a parliamentary body referred its chair to the standards watchdog.
The EHRC has been beset by problems since it replaced a series of equality bodies in October 2007. Last year, chief executive Nicola Brewer quit her post and a number of commissioners resigned amid criticism of chair Trevor Phillips.
In a scathing report published today, the Commons Public Accounts Committee attacks the ‘flawed and inefficient’ process of setting up the EHRC at a cost of almost £39m. This included £11m paid out to staff who left the predecessor bodies under an early exit scheme.
The report says: ‘Staff with valuable skills were allowed to leave the legacy commissions through an early exit scheme and then had to be rehired by the new commission at a cost of £338,708.’
PAC chair Edward Leigh noted that only ten directors out of the planned 25 had been appointed when the EHRC started work and its business plan had not been finalised. ‘It was, to say the least, not ready for business.’
The PAC and Parliament’s joint committee on human rights both launched probes into the EHRC after the National Audit Office qualified its 2006/08 accounts.
Earlier this month, the joint committee called on the parliamentary privileges committee to investigate allegations of contempt against Phillips. The embattled EHRC chair was alleged to have approached committee members in a possible attempt to influence their views before publication of their report.
Leigh added his own criticism of Phillips as the PAC report was published, saying he was ‘in part responsible for the ineffectiveness with which the board scrutinised the set-up process and challenged management’s proposals’.
The PAC found that ‘serious weaknesses’ had continued after publication of the 2006/08 accounts – as shown by the payment of £15,000 to one of the reappointed consultants for reasons the commission ‘cannot adequately explain’.
Leigh concluded: ‘This is not the way this committee expects public bodies to be run.’ The PAC also urged the commission to appoint a permanent chief executive to replace interim director-general Neil Kinghan, whose stint is costing £1,000 a day plus VAT.
An EHRC spokeswoman said the body had ‘made mistakes’, adding: ‘We are taking steps to improve our financial and performance reporting, and strengthen our governance arrangements and other control systems.’
4 March 2010
The troubled Equalities and Human Rights Commission has been slammed by MPs, just weeks after a parliamentary body referred its chair to the standards watchdog.
The EHRC has been beset by problems since it replaced a series of equality bodies in October 2007. Last year, chief executive Nicola Brewer quit her post and a number of commissioners resigned amid criticism of chair Trevor Phillips.
In a scathing report published today, the Commons Public Accounts Committee attacks the ‘flawed and inefficient’ process of setting up the EHRC at a cost of almost £39m. This included £11m paid out to staff who left the predecessor bodies under an early exit scheme.
The report says: ‘Staff with valuable skills were allowed to leave the legacy commissions through an early exit scheme and then had to be rehired by the new commission at a cost of £338,708.’
PAC chair Edward Leigh noted that only ten directors out of the planned 25 had been appointed when the EHRC started work and its business plan had not been finalised. ‘It was, to say the least, not ready for business.’
The PAC and Parliament’s joint committee on human rights both launched probes into the EHRC after the National Audit Office qualified its 2006/08 accounts.
Earlier this month, the joint committee called on the parliamentary privileges committee to investigate allegations of contempt against Phillips. The embattled EHRC chair was alleged to have approached committee members in a possible attempt to influence their views before publication of their report.
Leigh added his own criticism of Phillips as the PAC report was published, saying he was ‘in part responsible for the ineffectiveness with which the board scrutinised the set-up process and challenged management’s proposals’.
The PAC found that ‘serious weaknesses’ had continued after publication of the 2006/08 accounts – as shown by the payment of £15,000 to one of the reappointed consultants for reasons the commission ‘cannot adequately explain’.
Leigh concluded: ‘This is not the way this committee expects public bodies to be run.’ The PAC also urged the commission to appoint a permanent chief executive to replace interim director-general Neil Kinghan, whose stint is costing £1,000 a day plus VAT.
An EHRC spokeswoman said the body had ‘made mistakes’, adding: ‘We are taking steps to improve our financial and performance reporting, and strengthen our governance arrangements and other control systems.’
