§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken, since the coming into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by his Department and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.
§ Mr. LeeMy Department took part in the surveys of the ethnic origins of non-industrial civil servants in the north-west and the county of Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in the House on 24 March 1983, at column461. My Department's policies and procedures were reviewed before CRE's code of practice became operative, and additional guidance and instructions have been issued. Equal opportunity officers have also been designated within the Department. We shall consider further action once the results of these surveys have been evaluated. The kind of positive action which the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated.