§ Mr. MansTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision to extend ethnic monitoring to service personnel will be implemented; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HanleyThe implementation of in-service ethnic monitoring will begin this week with a survey of the ethnic origins of regular armed forces' personnel, excluding the brigade of Gurkhas. Ethnic origin questionnaires will be sent first to RAF personnel, and then to Navy and Army personnel in the new year. Information on the survey is currently being disseminated throughout the armed forces. To reinforce the services' policy of equal opportunities for personnel of all racial groups, a code of practice on race relations in the armed forces has been published and is also being disseminated throughout the services. A copy of the code of practice has been placed in the Library of the House.