agenda of issues to be considered and invited Ministers who were not permanent members of the Group to join it where a particular issue involved their departments. 8. The section of the Home Office with policy responsibilities for sex discrimination provided the secretariat to the Group. New posts had been created in the Home Office to deal specifically with the work of the Ministerial Group, and the secretariat had been given additional staff. The secretariat's role was to encourage, facilitate and assist the co-ordinated development and implementation of policy across departments. The networks of officials involved was therefore extensive. In particular, the network included officials of the Women's National Commission with whom the secretariat had close ties, thus ensuring more effective communication between women's orgánizations and the Government. 9. Ms. Schopp-Schilling had asked specifically about the anti-discrimination guidelines which had been issued by departments based on the model guidelines agreed by the Ministerial Group. Those guidelines were intended to raise awareness of de facto discrimination as well as the principles of discrimination, and were being reinforced by specific training including a special course for senior staff at the Civil Service College. The course was not limited to personnel policies but sought to ensure that, at a very early stage, all officials were alert to the potential impact on women of all aspects of policy, so that action could be taken to avoid creating or perpetuating discrimination. 10. Several members had raised questions about the Equal Opportunities Commission, particularly concerning its relationship with the central Government. In the United Kingdom, publicly funded non-governmental organizations retained operational independence. Although the Commission received its funding from the Government, it took its own decisions on the range of its activities and the deployment of its resources. 11. The Home Secretary appointed Commissioners to the Equal Opportunities 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the workings of a Ministerial Group on sex discrimination, the development of anti-discrimination guidelines, and the role of the Equal Opportunities Commission. These topics are all related to the promotion of equality and non-discrimination, particularly in the workplace and in government policies. This suggests that the category will be related to social issues and human rights.

**Category**
Employment, Health