§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department last conducted a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenEthnic monitoring of all civilian staff was introduced in 1988 as an important element of the MOD's equal opportunities policies. A further survey of all staff who did not reply to the initial survey was conducted in March 1991 and resulted in a 90 per cent. response rate. Ethnic monitoring is a continuous process in the MOD and all new entrants, except casuals, are surveyed on joining.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and overall in his Department are members of ethnic minorities.
§ Mr. AitkenThe information as at 1 April 1992, based on voluntary surveys of non-industrial staff, excluding those in executive agencies is:
Number Percentage of staff in grade Grade 1 0 — Grade 2 0 — Grade 3 0 — Grade 4 0 — Grade 5 0 — Grade 6 3 0.6 Grade 7 13 0.7 Total non-industrial staff 80,574
Total respondents to ethnic origin survey 72,505 (90 per cent.)
Total self-declared ethnic minority staff 1,508 (1.9 per cent.)
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.
§ Mr. AitkenMOD recruitment at grade 7 level is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services240W agency—RAS—on behalf of the civil service commissioners. RAS has put in place a range of measures to aid the recruitment of ethnic minorities. The principles of fair and open competition continue to apply including the commitment to equal opportunities. Above grade 7 level, external recruitment does not often occur.