HC Deb 23 June 1988 vol 135 cc647-9W
Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy which advertisements relating to equal opportunities in his Department have been placed with which selected newspapers from the ethnic minority press; and when and with what results.

Mr. Parkinson

In the Department's current recruitment campaign, advertisements were placed in the week beginning 6 June 1988 with theDaily Jang and The Voice, as well as with the South London Press. To date, three inquiries have been received from people citing the Daily Jang as their source, and 54 from applicants citing The Voice. So far eight application forms have been returned from these inquiries.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has appointed an equal opportunities officer.

Mr. Parkinson

Yes.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has any plans to improve equality of opportunity for women and for people from ethnic minorities in all grades of his Department, in connection with employment, training and promotion, respectively.

Mr. Parkinson

The good practice which underpins the employment policies that operate within my Department ensures equality of opportunity for employment, training and promotion for women and for people from ethnic minorities in all grades.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has taken any positive action, pursuant to the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and Equal Opportunities Commission, respectively, other than those measures specified in his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West on 27 May,Official Report, columns 398–99.

Mr. Parkinson

Yes. Career managers encourage women, as well as employees from ethnic minority groups, to apply for promotion; for staff who are directly recruited, jobcentres in areas where ethnic minority groups are concentrated are regularly asked to advertise vacancies; applications from both sexes for leave to undertake domestic responsibilities are sympathetically considered whenever possible; and arrangements for residential training courses are made well in advance so as to enable staff with young children to make appropriate childcare arrangements.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many and what percentage of officers in each grade and overall in his Department are women and from ethnic minorities, respectively.

Mr. Parkinson

Based on staff in post on 1 June 1988, the table sets out the numbers and percentage of women employed in each grade in my Department. Information on the numbers and percentage of staff from ethnic minorities is not yet available.

Grade Total staff in post (at 1.6.88) Female staff in post Per cent. Female staff in grade
1 1
2 2
3 11
4 1
5 39 3 7.7
6 20 1 5
7 132 15 13.7
SEO 38.5 2.5 6.5
HEO/HEO (D) 91.5 13 14.2
EO/AT 124 45 36.3
AO 124.5 68 54.6
AA 57 30.5 53.5
Chief Typing Manager 1 1 100
Typing Manager 4 4 100
Senior Personal Secretary 10 10 100
Personal Secretary 49 47 95.9
Typists 37.5 35.5 94.7
Office Keeper 1 1 100
Senior Paperkeeper 1
Paperkeeper 9 9 100
Senior Messenger 4 4 100
Messenger 19 11 57.9
Security Officer 8 2 25
Cleaner 1
SPTO/SSO (Senior Professional) and Technology Officer/Senior Scientific Officer) 18
HPTO/HSO (Higher) 9
PTO/SO 4 1 25
ASO 1
Reservoir Evaluation Specialist I 1
Res II 2
Res III 9
Res IV/V 20.5 8.5 41.5
Petroleum Specialist I 1
PS II 2
PS III 8
PS IV 21
PS V 1
Senior Engineering Inspector 3
Engineering Inspector
Chief Electricity Meter Examiner 1
Deputy Chief EME 1
Assistance EME 8
EME 10
Chief Gas Examiner
Area Gas Examiner 3
Gas Examiner 5 1 20
Chief Gas Meter Examiner 1
Assistance Chief GME 1
Gas Meter Examiner I 2
GME II 10
GME II 10

Grade Total staff in post (at 1.6.88) Female staff in post Per cent. Female staff in grade
Higher Mapping/Charting Officer 1 1
Mapping/Charting Officer 6.5 1.5 23
Chief Reprographic Officer 1
Assistance CRO 1
RO I 1 1 100
RO II 2 2 100
Senior Economic Assistant/Economic Assistant 3 1 33.3
Senior Assistant Statistician/Assistant Statistician 3 3 100
Senior Information Officer 9 1 11.1
IO 4 1 25
AIO 7 3 42.8
Senior Librarian 1 1 100
Librarian 1
Assistant Librarian 3 2 66.7
Inspector Factories IB 1
Telex Operator 1
Storekeeper 1
Industrials 4
Total 991 33.5 33.3

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has carried out monitoring exercises in accordance with the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission, respectively.

Mr. Parkinson

My Department monitors its direct recruitment to determine the success of its equal opportunities policies for women and for people from ethnic minority groups. My Department also monitors its promoting processes to determine progress towards equal opportunities for women. Because of difficulties in obtaining reliable data, monitoring the ethnic origin of staff in promotion processes is not yet undertaken.

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