§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at the Cabinet Office.
§ Mr. RentonThe top grades in my Department are normally filled by promotion from within, or by staff on loan from other Departments. The Cabinet Office monitors the ethnic origin of all new entrants to the Department and promotion is solely on merit. If it is necessary to recruit to the top grades from outside the civil service, the Cabinet office turns to the Civil Service Commissioners. They adopt a wide range of good equal opportunity practices to aid recruitment of members of the ethnic minorities, including the monitoring of applicants at every stage of the selection process.