HC Deb 26 March 1987 vol 113 cc269-70W
Mrs. Dunwoody

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make the gathering of information on ethnic origins compulsory, and publish the percentage of entrants to his Department who failed to respond to the ethnic origins questionnaire.

Mr. Brooke

Surveys of the ethnic origin of staff in post and new entrants to the Civil Service have been carried out in agreement with the Council of Civil Service Unions on the basis of voluntary self-classification. There are no plans at present to change to a compulsory system. However, the Civil Service and the Council of Civil Service Unions are keen to improve the data base and are discussing practical ways in which this can be done.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 March 1987 reporting the number of new recruits to Her Majesty's Treasury (non-industrials only) in the period 1 October 1985 to end September 1986. During that period their tax status to the Inland Revenue. What information is available suggests that substantial numbers of investors are not currently liable to higher rate tax.