§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures her Department has implemented during the last 12 months to encourage the promotion of women into senior positions with his Department and its executive agencies; and what progress her Department has made in encouraging the promotion of women over the last five years. [31545]
§ Mr. HowardThe Home Office is committed to the implementation of the Office of Public Service programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity for women in the civil service. It is also a founder member of Opportunity 2000, which aims to increase opportunities for women and promote the achievement of a balanced work force. The Department has continued to encourage measures which increase opportunities for women to reach senior positions. It monitors regularly the number of women in each grade, their annual report markings and their performance on promotion boards. It also makes available career breaks, flexible working arrangements and subsidised child care to assist women who want to combine work with domestic responsibilities.
There has been steady progress in the promotion of women into senior positions over the past five years. The percentage of women in grades 1 to 7, excluding the Prison Service, has risen from 21 per cent. to 28 per cent. Within that group, the representation of women at the former grade 3 level has risen from 27 per cent. to 43 per cent. and at grade 7 level from 20 per cent. to 33 per cent. Examples of progress elsewhere within the Department are that of the 12 people reaching governor 4 grade on the accelerated promotion scheme in the Prison Service, five have been women, representing 43 per cent., and that representation at grade 7 level in the Forensic Science Service has quadrupled over the past five years.