§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking to encourage promotion of women civil servants within his Department.
§ Mr. David HuntMy Department is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity. It has introduced a range of measures to enable women to develop their careers. These include flexible working hours, part-time working, job-sharing, re-instatement, career breaks, holiday play schemes and, shortly, a nursery. Guidance to staff emphasises that there must be no discrimination against women in decisions about recruitment, promotion, staff reporting, allocation to duties or selection for training. An annual report monitors these areas in detail. My Department also runs single-sex training courses for women to improve their opportunities for progression into senior grades.