§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.
§ Mr. GoodladFigures for the Diplomatic wing are:(a) Women:
Grade Total staff Number of women in grade Women as a percentage of total in grade 1 7 149 — 5 — 3.4 2 33 1 3.0 3 109 4 3.7 4 1 — — 5 303 13 4.3 6 91 6 6.6 7 492 74 15.0 Overall 6,400 2,265 35.4 (b) Ethnic minorities:
Grade Total staff Staff who have declared themselves to be of ethnic minority origin Number As a percentage of total in grade1 1 7 149 — — 2 33 — — 3 109 — — 4 1 — — 5 303 — — 6 91 — — 7 492 4 0.8 Overall 6,400 170 2.7 1 Response rate in voluntary ethnic survey: 89 per cent. (c) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Diplomatic Wing) employs no registered disabled staff in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7. One officer at grade 5 is registered disabled (0.3 per cent. of the grade). Overall 26 staff (0.4 per cent. of the workforce) are registered disabled.
Figures for the aid wing are:
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(a) Women Total staff Women Per cent. Grades 1–3 12 0 (0) Grade 5 51 8 (15.6) Grade 6 87 11 (12.6) Grade 7 249 40 (16) Overall 1,932 830 (43) These figures include the Natural Resources Institute.
(b) Ethnic minorities Total respondents Ethnic minority staff Per cent. Grades 1–3 10 0 (0) Grade 5 42 1 (2.4) Grade 6 51 1 (2.0) Grade 7 128 1 (0.8) Overall 1.297 106 (8.2) These figures exclude the Natural Resources Institute.
Disabled Staff
(c) No staff in grades 1 to 7 are disabled.
Overall 26 staff are disabled (1.34 per cent.) These figures include the Natural Resources Institute.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.
§ Mr. GoodladRecruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service and Diplomatic Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community, including: extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; using validated selection procedures.
All recruitment advertising and literature makes clear that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is an equal opportunities employer. This message is underlined at the numerous careers events across the country at which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is represented. The diplomatic wing has set up a cadre of volunteers from amongst its staff of ethnic minority origin to represent the Department at such events. Its recruitment brochure for the fast stream of the diplomatic service includes a positive action message for women.
In the aid wing, job advertisements for all vacancies for senior positions carry a statement confirming that the Overseas Development Administration is an equal opportunities employer. By the application of published criteria, the aid wing ensures that all suitably qualified candidates are considered objectively for appointment.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department last conducted surveys of(a) the ethnic origins and (b) women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladThe diplomatic and aid wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office conducted their original surveys of ethnic origins in 1986. They have been continuously updated since then. The aid wing's agency, the Natural Resources Institute, is undertaking a major exercise to update its database. The gender of employees is identified in staff records. Statistics are updated at regular intervals.