§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to 239W 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.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office is an equal opportunity employer and is pursuing the 1984 programme of action for equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service. Equal opportunity officers were appoined in the diplomatic and aid wings in 1984.
The diplomatic wing has adopted a number of measures to allow officers to combine career interests with domestic responsibilities. Flexible working hours were formally introduced in 1987. Provision has been made for part-time work, and job sharing. A more flexible approach has been adopted to requests for special unpaid leave for domestic reasons. Subject to operational requirements joint postings are arranged whenever possible where both partners in a marriage are members of the diplomatic service. Further details of these arrangements are given in the booklet "How to Cope with Changes in Domestic Responsibility … and still have a job", a copy of which is being placed in the Library of the House.
We are updating our programme of voluntary ethnic monitoring of staff in post. We also monitor recruitment and training. We recruit nationally and from all sectors of society. We advertise in the ethnic minority press in addition to the national and regional press and in inner-city jobcentres in London. Our recruitment literature stresses that we are an equal opportunity employer. We work with the national and regional press on articles about the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We issue guidance to officers on aspects of equal opportunities (eg sexual harassment). Special courses on equal opportunities are arranged for officers dealing with personal management. Equal opportunities is included in all management courses.
Similar arrangements have been made in the aid wing, which in addition promotes attendance on internal and external women-only courses, and trains members of promotion boards on equal opportunities.