§ Mr. VazTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to increase the number of ethnic minority employees in his Department. [731]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department has in place a comprehensive Programme of Action for Equality of Opportunity which covers monitoring of personnel procedures including recruitment. This enables any necessary action to be taken to ensure that procedures are fair to all staff and applicants. Employment levels of ethnic minority individuals in the main recruitment grades in London and the South East compare well with the benchmarks for the economically active population in the area. Outreach activities are encouraged if monitoring indicates that applications from ethnic minority individuals are below the relevant local benchmark.
The Department also participates in the Windsor Fellowship sponsorship programme for the development of ethnic minority undergraduates which includes work experience placements with the sponsoring employer. Two Fellows are currently being sponsored and the Department has previously sponsored two other individuals.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many civil servants of each grade in his Department were of Asian origin, on 5 May. [730]
§ Mr. MorleyThis answer covers core MAFF and the following of its agencies: Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Pesticides Safety Directorate, and the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the Central Science Laboratory and the Meat Hygiene Service. The most recent figures available are for 1 April 1997 and are as follows.
Asian staff in post as at 1 April 1997 Grade level1 Staff of Asian origin2 SCS 0 6 2 7 8 SEO 5 HEO 316 EO 29 AO 62 AA 60 Total 182 1 Grade level means grade and grade equivalent. 2 Figures are collected via a voluntary questionnaire of which 96.6 per cent. of staff responded. 3 Includes five individuals at the Central Science Laboratory Level 2.