§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. Kenneth ClarkeOn the most recent figures for those who have responded to ethnic origin surveys carried out by the Department, in the unified grades 1 to 7, 42 —that is 10 (5.2 per cent.) at grade 5; 24 (10.5 per cent.) at grade 6; and eight (0.7 per cent.) at grade 7—classified themselves as being of ethnic minority origin, representing 0.2 per cent. of the total number who responded in all main grades.
On 25 March 1993, 180 staff in the unified grades 1 to 7 were women, representing some 22 per cent. of staff in 220W those grades. In the unified grades, 7 (28 per cent.) staff at grade 3, 22 (23 per cent.) at grade 5, 10 (10 per cent.) at grade 6 and 141 (25 per cent.) at grade 7 were women. There are no women in grades 1, 2 or 4.
On 1 July 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, 185 members of staff in the Home Office were registered disabled, representing 0.4 per cent. of all staff. There were no registered disabled staff at grades 1 to 7. The Department employs many other people with disabilities who have chosen not to register, but no record has been kept of such staff.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. Kenneth ClarkeMost senior posts in the Department are filled internally by promotion. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that all staff—regardless of race, gender, disability or any other relevant factor—have equal access to opportunities for training, promotion and career development. A wide range of measures is in place to give effect to this policy.
Recruitment direct to specific senior posts is generally conducted by the Recruitment and Assessment Services on behalf of the Home Office, on the basis of fair and open competition.
In the prison service, particular efforts have been made in recent years to recruit women and members of the ethnic minorities to the accelerated promotion scheme, which prepares staff for senior positions in the service.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. Kenneth ClarkeAll non-industrial staff in the Home Office who had not responded to earlier surveys were asked to state their ethnic origin in a further voluntary survey, conducted over the past 12 months. This has significantly increased the database of staff ethnic backgrounds, which now covers 90 per cent. of staff in the Home Office (non-prisons) and 74 per cent. of non-industrial staff in the prison service. Further steps will be taken to maintain and increase the database. People seeking posts in the Department are asked to state their ethnic origins when making their applications. No survey of industrial staff in the Department has yet been carried out, but measures are in hand to address this. There is no need for a survey of women since the gender of employees is identified in staff records.