§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all members of staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.
§ Mr. EggarCivil Service policy on sexual harassment is set out in the programme of action for equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service which was published by the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) in 1984. Sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and may be dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual diplomatic service or home Civil Service complaints procedure.
Guidance on reporting complaints has been made available to all staff in the diplomatic and aid wings. There have been no official complaints in the past five years in the diplomatic wing. In the aid wing, one complaint resulted in the offender's being reprimanded.