§ 1. Mr. John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan)What measures she is taking to tackle the under-representation of ethnic minorities in the civil service. [120432]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Graham Stringer)The Government have a strong commitment to equal opportunities. It is our determination that the public sector is fully representative of the community of the whole of the United Kingdom. To that end, we have set targets at all levels of the civil service and in all Departments. Recently, Mr. Museji Ahmed Takolia has been taken on as a senior adviser on equal opportunities and particularly on the recruitment of people from ethnic minority communities.
§ Mr. SmithI greatly welcome my hon. Friend's reply and especially the appointment of a senior adviser to oversee these matters. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is an important role in going to schools throughout the country to try to recruit youngsters from ethnic minorities into the civil service? Does he also agree that we should target recruitment in certain regions of the United Kingdom? In evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee, it was pointed out that, in south Wales, which has one of the oldest black communities in the UK, integration in public service and the civil service is not satisfactory. It would be helpful if we targeted resources accordingly.
§ Mr. StringerI thank my hon. Friend for that question. I agree completely that there is a responsibility on all Ministers, Members of Parliament and people in official positions to explain how young people from schools and universities can gain access to the civil service. There is also a responsibility to ensure that, when people from 824 ethnic minorities gain access to jobs in the civil service, it is seen as a fair and just place for those people to work. Last year, a careers fair was organised entirely for the purpose of attracting ethnic minorities into the civil service. It was extremely well attended—by 1,500 people in all. That fair will be repeated this year.
§ Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst)Will the Minister guarantee that only those with the appropriate skills and qualifications will be recruited to and promoted in the civil service?
§ Mr. StringerIt is clearly this Government's policy that people who are appointed will be the best for the job. The same will apply to promotion. Statistics, particularly in respect of the top of the civil service, show a certain amount of unfairness. People from different communities in this country are not being attracted into those jobs. We must proactively do something about that without discriminating in the other direction.