§ 6. Mr. Thomas Coxasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of people recruited for the Civil Service in Northern Ireland during the last 12 months.
§ Mr. David HowellThe number of people appointed to the Northern Ireland Civil Service during 1971—the last period for which figures are readily available—was 2,085.
This figure excludes industrial staff and people engaged for seasonal or holiday work.
§ Mr. CoxIn view of past criticisms can the hon. Gentleman assure us that recruitment into the Civil Service in Northern Ireland is now free of religious prejudice? Can he assure us, further, that any future promotion within the service in Northern Ireland will be based on the abilities of those seeking promotion and on no other form of discrimination?
§ Mr. HowellCertainly I give that assurance, and I think that it has been so in the past. The procedures have been rigorously fair. There is no evidence of discrimination or of a sectarian policy in recruitment. I gladly give that assurance for the present and for the future as well.
§ Rev. Ian PaisleyWill my hon. Friend also assure us from the knowledge that he has that there was never any such religious discrimination in recruitment to the Civil Service and that there is a good proportion of the minority in the Stormont Civil Service at present?
§ Mr. HowellThat is what I said. There was never such discrimination. There are no precise statistics kept on the religious categories of existing Civil Service staff, but I think that any fair assessment will show that today there is no discrimination in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.