HC Deb 03 February 1993 vol 218 cc207-8W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about recruitment policies at Government communications headquarters, and which groups which are excluded on grounds of ethnic origin or parents' country of origin.

Mr. Hurd

No groups are excluded on grounds of ethnic origin. Members of staff at GCHQ must be British citizens, must never have held citizenship other than of the United Kingdom and colonies, and must not hold any nationality or citizenship in addition to British citizenship. As regards parents of applicants, the requirement is that each parent must always have been a Commonwealth citizen as defined by the British Nationality Act 1981.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from other Governments about employment practices at. Government communications headquarters; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hurd

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a representation from another Government about employment practices at GCHQ other than in the context of the consideration by members of the International Labour Organisation of the question of staff representation at GCHQ.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applicants for employment at Government communications headquarters in the last five years have been refused on the grounds that their parents came from Ireland; and if he will make it his policy not to bar applicants on such grounds.

Mr. Hurd

No applicant would be refused simply on the ground that their parents came from Ireland. What matters is whether the parents hold Commonwealth citizenship as defined by the British Nationality Act 1981. Figures are not kept on how many applications have been refused on that ground.