§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of(a) women and (b) Catholics are involved in work at a senior policy level on police reform within the (i) Northern Ireland Office, (ii) Police Authority and (iii) RUC. [110846]
§ Mr. IngramThe percentage of women involved in work on policing reform at a senior policy level in the RUC is nil, in the Police Authority for Northern Ireland it is 30 per cent. and in the Northern Ireland Office it is 27 per cent. Percentages cover a very small number of individuals. Senior officials are included in PANI and NIO percentages as appropriate, though it is Authority members and Ministers respectively who take policy decisions.
There are strict requirements governing the confidentiality and proper use of community background monitoring data. The provision of community background data at the level asked for would breach those requirements.