HC Deb 30 October 2000 vol 355 cc286-7W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) women and (b) members of ethnic minorities are employed by his Department. [134689]

Mr. Wills

Details of the number of women and members of ethnic minorities employed by DfEE are as set out. The figures for permanent and temporary (casual) staff are shown separately.

Permanent staff As at 1 October 2000 DfEE employed 4,849 permanent staff of whom: 2,693 (56 per cent.) were women and 491 (10 per cent.) were members of ethnic minoritiesTemporary staff As at 1 October 2000 DfEE employed 237 temporary staff of whom: 133 (56 per cent.) were women and 5 (2 per cent.) were members of ethnic minorities.

DfEE (in line with the Commission for Racial Equality guidelines) asks staff to voluntarily declare their ethnicity in order to monitor progress against its Equal Opportunities Action Plan. The figures reflect the position for those who have provided this information.