§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is (a) the proportion of working time allocated to his departmental equal opportunities officer for equal opportunities duties, (b) the other duties carried out by the departmental equal opportunities officer, (c) the proportion, and the amount of the departmental budget allocated to equal opportunities work, (d) the number of occasions when the departmental equal opportunities officer meets equal opportunities officers from other Government Departments each year, (e) the guidelines issued to departmental training officers and equal opportunities officers to promote the use of section 47 of the Sex Discrimination Act and (f) what action has been taken to facilitate job share, part-time working and parental leave.
§ Mr. NichollsThe information is as follows:
(a) 20 per cent. (but the five sectors within the DE Group also have equal opportunities officers); (b) personnel policy, including recruitment, promotion, management development and terms and conditions of 925W employment; (c) the information is not available because it cannot be separated from personnel and training costs; (d) about four times a year at meetings run by the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service; (e) general advice is given in our personnel handbook. Demand for single sex training is met by Civil Service College courses and DE HQ workshops; (f) a policy agreed with the Trade Unions to increase opportunities for part-time work, including job-sharing, has been widely publicised and implemented successfully. Applications for special leave for childcare, maternity etc. are dealt with sympathetically and quickly.