§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on encouraging homosexual people to join the police force in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [2844]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Home Office is currently developing national recruitment standards that are fair and non-discriminatory, and which will give access to a wider pool of applicants through the removal of unnecessary barriers to recruitment. Chief Constables are currently considering guidance about sexual orientation which has been drafted by the Association of Chief Police Officers with the help of the Lesbian and Gay Police Association. The draft guidance states among other matters that police forces' recruitment advertising should aim to attract lesbian and gay people as it would any other minority group, and that current arrangements concerning recruitment and promotion should be reviewed to ensure that they do not discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation.