HC Deb 05 March 1990 vol 168 cc462-4W
Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's management training courses include sessions on equal opportunities for women; and what proportion of managers at grade six level and above working outside headquarters has received training on equal opportunities for women.

Mr. Waddington

All the Department's centrally run management courses include sessions on equal opportunities; detailed information on management training provided locally is not held centrally. The other information requested is not available.

Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to implement the recommendations within his area of responsibility of the European Commission's childcare network report: "Caring for Children—Services and Policies for Childcare and Equal Opportunities in the United Kingdom."

Mr. John Patten

The report was prepared for the European Commission which has not developed any proposals. The Government believe that policy on child care is a matter for member states. The United Kingdom's policy is that it is for families themselves to determine how their children are to be brought up and how parents who wish to do so can best combine paid work and family responsibilities. The issue is kept under review by the ministerial group on women's issues.

Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what child care provision for pre-school age children is provided for employees of his Department; what child care provision for school holidays or after-school care is provided for employees' children aged five years or over, what plans there are for increasing provision in the next five years; and how these are to be funded.

Mr. Waddington

The Home Office plans to provide nursery places for pre-school age children of its staff in Croydon and Bootle shortly and is considering the possibility of making similar provision in London; holiday play-scheme places have already been made available for the children of staff in Croydon, Bootle and Westminster. Management have contributed funds and staff to these initiatives, but there will also be a charge for places.

Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grade is his Department's equal opportunities officer.

Mr. Waddington

My Department has two equal opportunities officers: one for staff in the prison service who is a grade 6, and one for all other staff who is a grade 5.

Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has implemented to ensure that recruitment and promotion policy in his Department does not directly or indirectly discriminate against applicants who were mature students or women returning to work following a career break due to child care.

Mr. Waddington

Recruitment advertising has been amended to carry a positive equal opportunities message and a recently issued booklet promoting managerial careers in the Department specifically addresses those returning to work after a break of any kind.

Arrangements have recently been made to ensure that staff on special leave, including those who are taking a career break, as well as those on maternity leave are eligible for consideration by promotion boards. Seniority requirements for eligibility for promotion have also been reduced and opportunities for part-time working, in management grades as well as at junior levels, are being significantly increased.

Mr. Corbett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of civil servants in his Department are women at each of the grades(a) seven, (b) six, (c) five, (d) four, (e) three, (f) two and (g) one.

Mr. Waddington

The proportion of female civil servants in the Home Office in the grades for which information is requested is as follows:

Grade Per cent.
7 16
6 6
5 18
4 25
3 9
2 0
1 0

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