§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what affirmative action measures she plans to adopt to increase the representation of Catholics and women in the(a) industrial craft and (b) higher non-industrial grades in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. [17705]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) aims to create a position where men and women, Protestants and Roman Catholics, are fairly represented at all levels in the organisation. It will continue to seek to identify lawful affirmative action measures which are effective in addressing the under-representation of women and Roman Catholics in the industrial craft and higher non-industrial grades.
NICS policy is that employment and advancement is based on ability, qualification and aptitude for the work. Subject to that overriding principle, the Service has initiated a range of measures in the context of its Action Plan for Women, designed to help improve female representation at senior levels. These include the use of flexible working, women only training, equal opportunity awareness programmers for senior staff, training for women returning to work, and the examination of organisational barriers to the promotion of women to the senior levels including specialist areas.
The Service also regularly reviews its promotion and recruitment practices and has taken a number of measures to promote a more balanced work force at all levels of the organisation. These include the use of positive action advertising in appropriate circumstances and the removal of various internal barriers to promotion to encourage a better flow of staff from lower to higher grades within and between Departments.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards the decentralisation of Civil Service jobs. [17707]
§ Mr. Paul MurphySome 280 posts were transferred from Belfast and Bangor to Londonderry in 1989. Subsequent options for dispersing jobs have been considered, but rejected for reasons of cost and feasibility. In view of this, a research study was commissioned to assess more accurately the costs and the social and economic benefits of dispersing Civil Service jobs from Belfast and North Down, to develop a methodology to measure costs and benefits and to inform decisions on future policy. The report of this study is under consideration.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the Sixth Report compiled by the Department of Finance and Personnel into Equal Opportunities in the Civil Service. [17706]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI was pleased to note the strong evidence contained in the Sixth Report of compositional change in the NICS work force and the fact that, at the macro level, Protestants and Roman Catholics are now fairly represented at most grade levels up to around Staff Officer and equivalent level. Service-wide female 9W representation has risen to 45.1 per cent. and Roman Catholic to 40.7 per cent. Overall in the Non-Industrial grades Female and Roman Catholic representation has increased in every grade level between Executive Officer level and the senior grades. However, I was naturally disappointed that the Service did not reach some of the goals and timetables previously set and, in particular, the progress made in terms of the composition of the most senior grades and the continuing under-representation of women in the Professional and Technical, and Industrial Grades. The Service has put in place a range of measures within the law to try to accelerate the rate of change whilst adhering strictly to the merit principle in both its recruitment and internal promotion practices. It will also continue to consult with the statutory agencies to examine and implement further practical affirmative action measures.