HL Deb 23 July 1984 vol 455 cc154-6WA
Lord Sandys

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the results of the ethnic surveys of nonindustrial civil servants in the North West and the County of Avon will be published.

The Minister of State, Privy Council Office, and Minister for the Arts, (The Earl of Gowrie)

A report on the survey is published today. Copies have been placed in the Library. Of the 64,000 staff issued with a questionnaire, 77 per cent. completed the ethnic origin question, 0.9 per cent. of whom classified themselves as belonging to an ethnic minority. A survey of applicants for Civil Service posts in these areas is currently being carried out and will cover recruitment schemes in the period March-August 1984.

The Government wish to give further encouragement to people from the ethnic minorities to apply for Civil Service posts and are determined to ensure that they are given full equality of opportunity both at the recruitment stage and in their subsequent careers. To this end we are vigorously following up the recommendations of the report on a Review of Policies and Procedures as they affect race relations in the Civil Service, which was published in December 1983.

Officials are having discussions with the Council of Civil Service Unions about arrangements for possible future ethnic surveys of non-industrial civil servants in other areas. A decision on this will be made as soon as possible.