§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister for the Civil Service what figures are 443W available for the proportion of Civil Service administration trainees educated at public schools and Oxford and Cambridge universities; what proportion of this grade in total has such an educational background; and what further steps he is taking to encourage applications from local authority schools, from universities other than Oxford and Cambridge and from polytechnics.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe following are the percentages of direct entry administration trainees educated at public schools—defined as schools with independent status and with membership of the Headmasters Conference or one of the principal girls' schools—and Oxford and Cambridge Universities who entered the Service in the period 1971–75 and were still in the Service in October 1976:
1971 … … … 15.5 1972 … … … 15.7 1973 … … … 18.1 1974 … … … 22.0 1975 … … … 18.6 Of 721 administration trainees still serving in that grade in June 1977, 14.8 per cent. had been educated at public schools, as defined above, and Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
As I told my hon. Friend on 23rd May, I believe that the Civil Service Commissioners are doing as much in the way of encouraging applications for the AT entry from people who attended local education authority schools, universities other than Oxford and Cambridge and polytechnics as they can with their present resources.