§ 14. Mr. Onslowasked the Minister for the Civil Service what official statistics are maintained of the number of coloured staff employed in the Home Civil Service.
§ Mr. George ThomsonI have been asked to reply.
No official statistics are maintained, but Departments are able to make a rough estimate of the number they employ.
§ Mr. OnslowHow, then, was it possible for last September's issue of the Civil Service magazine Red Tape to quote a figure?
§ Mr. ThomsonI would require to look into that, but I suspect that it probably related to a rough estimate given to the House a short time before that, when a figure of 16,400 was given in answer to a Question.
§ Sir E. BoyleIs not there a strong case for maintaining these statistics, without prejudice to the question of how or in what form they should be published?
§ Mr. ThomsonThat is an important question, and I think that we should have a further look at the way in which such statistics should be collected. We have that rough estimate dating back to last summer. If the right hon. Gentleman would like, I will try to make more recent figures available in correspondence with him.