§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures his 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 his Department has made in encouraging the promotion of women over the last five years. [31540]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythMy Department continues to support policies which enable and assist women to reach senior positions. Flexible working patterns and family-friendly policies are well established and women in particular find this facility helpful in enabling them to further their careers.
The proportion of women is increasing at all management levels. In 1992, the earliest for which these data are available, there were 81.5 women in a total of 627.5 staff in grades 1 to 7 in the Scottish Office and its executive agencies. By 1996, a comparable figure was 102.3 women in a total of staff of 569.4.