§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, of the 13 per cent. of his Department's staff who come from ethnic minority groups, which minority groups are represented and what levels of employment his Department's monitoring system shows them to have reached.
549W
§ Mr. StanleyThe Northern Ireland Civil Service does not monitor the ethnic origins of its staff. It records details of the sex, religious affiliation and any disabilities of its staff. Details of the Northern Ireland Civil Service's composition in these terms are given in the second report of its equal opportunities unit, a copy of which is in the Library.
The figure of 13 per cent. relates to the Home Civil Service element of the Northern Ireland Office. This cadre is so small that the publication of information about ethnic monitoring groups which are represented and the grades they have reached would allow the ethnic origins of individuals to be identified. This would represent a breach of the confidentiality which is promised when the information is sought.