§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appointments to quangos he made between(a) 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998 and (b) 1 June 1998 and 31 May 1999; and in each case of those how many were members of Britain's (i) Asian and (ii) ethnic minority communities. [92139]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere were a total of 126 appointments made to Home Office non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) between 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998. Six of the appointees were Asian and six were from other ethnic minority backgrounds.
195 appointments were made to NDPBs between 1 June 1998 and 31 May 1999. Twenty-one of the appointees were Asian and 27 were from other ethnic minority communities.
The Home Office Public Appointments Equal Opportunities Plan for 1999–2002, which was published on 25 May 1999, sets the Department the objectives of achieving 9 per cent. membership of ethnic minorities across its major public bodies (excluding the Commission for Racial Equality) and 9 per cent. for all its public appointments. On the latest available information, the figures achieved are respectively 10 per cent. and 14 per cent.