HC Deb 31 March 1994 vol 240 cc939-40W
Mr. Janner

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many, and what percentage of officers in each of grades 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities or (c) disabled, respectively.

Mr. Howard

On 28 March 1994, 249 staff in grades 1 to 7, including their departmental specialist equivalents, were women, representing some 17 per cent. of staff in those grades. Within the grades: nine—23 per cent. of staff at grade 3; two—13 per cent.—at grade 4; 28-19 per cent.—at grade 5; 31-9 per cent.—at grade 6; and 179 —20 per cent.—at grade 7 were women. There are no women in grades 1 and 2.

On the most recent figures derived from ethnic origins surveys carried out by the Department, in grades 1 to 7 and their equivalents, 142 staff in grades 1 to 7 and their equivalent are classified as being of ethnic minority origin, representing 12 per cent. of the total—16, or 12 per cent. at grade 5; 43 or 14 per cent., at grade 6; and 83, l2 per cent., at grade 7.

Table A
Numbers1 of applications for asylum and grants 1–2 of asylum, and dependant children, 1990 to 1993 and January to February 1994
1990 1991 1992 1993 199412
Total principal applications for asylum3 26,205 44,840 24,605 22,370 4,355
children5 under 18 accompanying or subsequently joining4 principal asylum applicants by year of principal application 12 18,0451 5,020 3,850 13
Cases recognised as a refugee and granted asylum3 920 505 1,115 1,590 125
children5 under 18 accompanying cases granted asylum4 by year of grant of asylum 13 1406 435 770 13
Acceptances for settlement of South East Asian refugees on arrival (including dependants)7 645 485 615 510 13
Principal applications for asylum by unaccompanied children8–9 port 13 13010 18510 24510 13
in-country 13 13 510–11 3010 13

1 Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

2 Grants of asylum do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same year.

3 Exclude dependants.

4 Information on children is of those applying with the principal applicant or arriving subsequently, before the principal application was decided. Information excludes children who arrive after the principal decision.

5 Estimated figures.

6 May be underrecorded.

7 Figures for children are not separately identifiable.

8 Included in the total for principal applications for asylum.

9 Unaccompanied at the point of their arrival, and not known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom.

10 The information for 1991 is for children aged 16 or under, and for the years 1992 and 1993 for children aged 17 and under.

As at November 1993 the latest date for which figures are available, 302 members of staff in the Home Office were known to be disabled, including a number who were not registered as such. This represented 0.6 per cent. of all staff. At grades 1–7 and their equivalents there were four registered and three unregistered disabled members of staff, representing 0.5 per cent. of all staff in those grades.