HC Deb 28 July 1988 vol 138 cc577-8W
Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the results of the ethnic monitoring of recruitment carried out in accordance with his equal opportunities action plan; and how many and what percentage of people from ethnic minorities were shown in such ethnic monitoring exercises to be employed at each grade or level of his Department.

Mr. Sainsbury

I refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply I gave him on 17 June at column 343.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the results of the ethnic monitoring of recruitment commenced in 1987 to become available.

Mr. Sainsbury

Not before the end of the year.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has received to the voluntary survey of the ethnic origins of all non-industrial and industrial staff thus far carried out.

Mr. Sainsbury

The response rate to the three phases of the survey of non-industrial staff completed to date was 79 per cent. Information on the response rate to the survey of industrial staff is not yet available.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what quasi-governmental bodies or other organisations under his aegis he has authority to request or require the carrying out of ethnic monitoring exercises in accordance with the code of the Commission for Racial Equality; and what ethnic monitoring and equal opportunities exercises have been carried out by each such department.

Mr. Sainsbury

NDPBs and other bodies sponsored by the Ministry of Defence are responsible for arrangements for recruitment and personnel management of staff they employ. Bodies are encouraged to be equal opportunities employers and to pursue practices in the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

No central records are held of ethnic monitoring and equal opportunities exercises carried out by these bodies.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the respondents from ethnic minorities employed in his Department in grade seven and above were in grades one, two, three, four, five, six and seven, respectively;

(2) how many of the respondents from ethnic minorities employed in his Department were senior executive officers and higher executive officers, respectively.

Mr. Sainsbury

I regret this information cannot be provided. The code of practice governing the protection of data collected through ethnic origins surveys requires Departments not to publish information in a way which could lead to individuals being identified.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will institute a monitoring exercise in accordance with the code of the Commission for Racial Equality in order to ascertain figures for ethnic minorities in part-time posts in his Department.

Mr. Sainsbury

The Department now has the capability to monitor the number of ethnic minorities in part-time posts, and the number of such persons currently employed part-time is 27.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will place in the Library the results of the survey of ethnic origins of all non-industrial and industrial staff now being conducted by his Department, as and when each of the three phases are completed.

Mr. Sainsbury

The results of the surveys of the ethnic origins of MOD staff will be published by the Cabinet Office and copies of the reports will be placed in the Library.