§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Attorney-General what action the Lord Chancellor has taken to remedy past inequalities in employment practices in his Department, in compliance with the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission, respectively.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Lord Chancellor's Department has agreed policies on race relations and equality of opportunities for women which comply with the appropriate code of practice. The policy statements were circulated to all staff in 1984. The Department has recently sent a copy of the first of a series of leaflets on equal opportunities to each member of staff. A second leaflet on sexual harassment will be issued. Specific guidance on equal opportunities is given at relevant training courses and there is compulsory training on equal opportunities for all managers.
Other examples of action taken are: the provision of women-only training and a career break scheme; advertising part-time working and job-share opportunities for staff; a survey of the ethnic origin of all staff; participation in feature articles to publicise career opportunities in the Department; participation in the schools liaison scheme and the use of inner city job centres to fill vacancies.