HC Deb 31 March 1993 vol 222 cc215-6W
Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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. Boswell

The number and percentage of women and disabled staff in each grade requested and the overall number in the Department as at 1 March 1993 are as follows:

Grade Women Per cent. Disabled Per cent.
1–4 0 0 0 0
5 14 32 1 2
6 1 6 0 0
7 49 29 0 0
Overall 1,280 59 68 3

The figures for disabled staff cover only those registered as disabled. The Department also has members of staff with disabilities who have chosen not to register.

We do not hold information on the ethnic origin of all our staff but of those who have responded to date to the ethnic monitoring survey—98.5 per cent.—those from ethnic minorities are as follows:

Grade Number Per cent.
1–6 0 0
7 6 4
Overall 173 8

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department last conducted surveys of(a) ethnic origins and (b) the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Boswell

A survey of the ethnic origins of staff was undertaken in 1990, since when our database has been continuously updated as new staff join the Department. We currently hold ethnic origin data on 98.5 per cent. of our staff. The number of women in the Department is monitored annually in December.

Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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. Boswell

Recruitment of grades above administrative officer is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency on behalf of the civil service commissioners. Recruits 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 Orders in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community. These steps include extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; and using validated selection procedures.