§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has conducted monitoring exercises in compliance with the code of the Commission of Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunity Commission, respectively, separate from the Department of Social Security; whether his Department plans to do so; whether his Department plans to maintain records of the ethnic origins of its staff and officers separate from the Department of Social Security; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe action taken by the then Department of Health and Social Security in support of its equal opportunities policy will continue in the Department of Health and will follow the guidance in the codes of practice of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunity Commission. This action includes the monitoring of personnel policies and procedures.
Work is in hand to ensure that the staff records, including ethnic origin data, of the Department of Health and the Department of Social Security can be separately identified. I shall write to the hon. and learned Member when this is completed.