§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in theOfficial Report to show the number of persons employed by the Northern Ireland Office in Northern Ireland and the areas of Northern Ireland from which they are drawn, the number of Roman Catholics, the number of Protestants and the number of others and the religious composition of the population of the areas from which the persons are drawn between the ages of 18 and 64 years.
§ Dr. MawhinneyA significant proportion of the home civil service staff employed in the Northern Ireland Office in Northern Ireland are from Great Britain. They were educated outside Northern Ireland and their community background has not been determined. It would not be appropriate to provide the information sought.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table to show the number of persons employed by the civil service in Northern Ireland, the areas of Northern Ireland from 607W which they are drawn, the number of Roman Catholics, the number of Protestants and the number of others, the religious composition of the areas from which they are drawn in the age group 18 to 64 years and the religious composition of the Northern Ireland population in the same age group.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe numbers and composition in terms of the community background of Northern Ireland civil servants are given in a regular series of reports issued by the Northern Ireland civil service's equal opportunities unit, the most recent of which was published during October 1989. Copies of this and the two previous reports are in the Library.
The third report, besides giving information about the numbers and community background of Northern Ireland civil servants, also gave an estimate as to labour availability. For this it drew on the continuous household survey for the years 1985 to 1987 regarding economically active persons aged 16 and over. Details for the age group 18 to 64 are not readily available. The table gives the relevant information.
Percentage Protestant Percentage Roman Catholic Percentage Others Northern Ireland Civil Service 55.3 34.5 10.2 Economically active population estimate 60.9 35.5 3.6 In the main, the Northern Ireland civil service recruits on a Northern Ireland basis. The community background of successful candidates plays no part in determining where such candidates are posted. For this reason, it has not been considered appropriate to monitor applications and/or appointments other than on a Northern Ireland basis. Information regarding the community background of staff based on the areas of Northern Ireland from which they are drawn is not therefore available. Such analyses could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.