§ Lord Sandysasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have completed the evaluation of the surveys of the ethnic origins of applicants in Civil Service recruitment schemes held in the North 602WA West and the County of Avon; and whether they will make a statement.
The Earl of GowrieA report on the surveys is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Library. The surveys covered non-industrial recruitment during March to August 1984. A high response rate was achieved. The proportion of respondents classifying themselves as being of ethnic minority origin was, overall, close to the estimated proportion in the working population as a whole, but was lower for those in the younger age range. Because of the small numbers involved, it was not possible to draw firm conclusions from the results.
Building on this experience, a comprehensive twelve-month survey of executive officer recruitment will be conducted nationally, starting at the end of this year; there will be a continuing programme of sample surveys in the main areas of departmental recruitment; and there will be a service-wide study to follow the long-term progress of all staff who enter some of the main recruitment grades during 1986. In addition, ways will be explored of giving further encouragement to ethnic minority school-leavers, in particular, to apply for Civil Service posts.