HC Deb 18 April 1990 vol 170 c877W
Mr. William Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether United Kingdom civil servants working in Northern Ireland operate under the same monitoring system and code of practice as that detailed in the written reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East of 21 February,Official Report, column 768.

Mr. Cope

All Northern Ireland employers are guided by the code of practice published by the Department of Economic Development on 31 December 1989 and subsequently adopted by the Fair Employment Commission as its first code of practice under the Fair Employment (NI) Act 1989.

Mr. William Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether members of harbour boards in Northern Ireland are considered as employees by the Fair Employment Commission in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Needham

[holding answer 20 March 1990]: I am advised that the Commission has not examined the terms upon which members are appointed.

Mr. Mallon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being taken to rectify and monitor the religious imbalance amongst employees at principal officer grade and above in the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope

[holding answer 4 April 1990]: The results of monitoring and the measures being taken to provide equality of opportunity in the Northern Ireland civil service are published in the reports of its equal opportunities unit. Copies of these reports are in the Library. These give details about the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.

Discussions have already taken place with the Fair Employment Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission about the published findings and the future work programme of the equal opportunties unit. It has been agreed that the latter will focus on the level of representation of females and of Roman Catholics in the higher grades in the Northern Ireland civil service.

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