§ 20. Mr. Litterickasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will review his Department's recruitment activities in Northern Ireland in the light of the terms of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisNo, Sir, I am satisfied that the recruitment activities of departments of the Home Civil Service in Northern Ireland are fully consistent with the provisions of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976.
§ Mr. LitterickAs my right hon. Friend readily accepts that his Department has 19 a responsibility under the Act to prevent sectarian discrimination in the matter of recruitment, what criteria will he bring to bear in judging the recruiting activities of a Government Department with reference to that Act, as no Government Department has been able to tell me in answer to Questions anything about the religious affiliation of any of its recruits, with the single exception of the Ulster Defence Regiment?
§ Mr. MorrisI can understand the reluctance of Government Departments and Ministers to get involved in any religious head-counting—
§ Mr. LitterickBut that is what the Act was all about.
§ Mr. MorrisRecruitment to Civil Service posts in Northern Ireland is solely on the basis of fair and open competition. It is the cardinal principle of the Civil Service Commissioners' recruitment work that discrimination on grounds of colour, race, sex, religion or politics should be excluded from selection considerations.
§ Mr. PowellDoes the Minister agree that any policy which leads to the establishment of quotas is bound to be unhelpful from any point of view? It was this danger, implicit in the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act, which caused my hon. Friends and myself to vote against the measure.
§ Mr. MorrisI do not accept the right hon. Gentleman's interpretation of the Act in that regard.
§ Mr. HefferMay I suggest that quotas in any direction, whether they concern the marriage of Royalty or of anyone else, are out in this day and age?
§ Mr. MorrisI certainly agree that quotas relating to marriage are out.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonWere not quotas rejected by Ministers throughout the passing of the Act in question, just as they have been rejected by the Minister today? Is there any substantial measure of complaint in Northern Ireland about recruitment to the public service? Plenty of people are willing to complain, but I did not think that this was a particular subject of grievance.
§ Mr. MorrisI agree. I have no evidence to suggest that there is any appre- 20 ciable measure of complaint about recruitment to the Civil Service in Northern Ireland.