The Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) now has a "full complement of commissioners," five of whom are new, according to Human Affairs director Kenneth Dill.

And as far as Mr. Dill is concerned, the board can continue its work even if the new appointments have not officially been gazetted.

Opinion is mixed as to whether gazetting is a legal requirement for Government Boards.

"Technically we're just waiting for the gazetting, " Mr. Dill said.

"I know of no authority that requires them to be published.Statutory Boards speak to their letters of appointment."

Mr. Dill also said that CURE now has 43 new companies on its books while a further 14 have now de-registered.

By law companies with ten or more employees are required to register with CURE and return a yearly survey to the Government agency which keeps tabs on the racial make-up of the Bermudian workplace.

Mr. Dill said that since the law requires companies with a minimum of ten employees to register, and those who fall below that number can de-register. And the department keeps a "very firm vigil" on the de-registration process to make sure companies are being honest.

"We work with other government departments to ensure that they have in fact qualified to be de-registered," he said.

"Companies cannot simply get off the hook by breaking up into subsidiaries with less than ten employees.

"If a major company has divisions the company is registered as one company - e.g. the Bermuda Government, for example."

Mr. Dill also revealed that the position of executive officer of the Human Rights Commission will soon be advertised. The last person to hold that position, Neville Darrell, made his resignation official last week when he was named as a United Bermuda Party senator.

Mr. Darrell had in fact been working in another Government department since the early months of last year after he found himself in the centre of a controversy involving then Human Affairs Minister, Terry Lister, the Bank of Bermuda and the Hardell Group of Companies.

At the centre of the dispute are allegations that the then Minister Terry Lister interfered in a complaint brought before the Human Rights Commission, causing it to be unfairly dismissed. According to court papers signed by Neville Darrell, he left the department because the Minister had created a toxic work environment and had acted against the "equity interests" of a citizen. The matter is still before the courts.

David Wilson is currently the acting executive director.