HC Deb 21 May 1997 vol 294 cc65-6W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many civil servants, of each grade, in her Department, were of Asian origin, on 5 May. [732]

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

On 5 May 1997 the DTI employed, on headcount basis, 241 staff of Asian Origin in the following grade levels:

Number
Grade 7 level and above 9
SEO—level 14
HEO—level 21
EO—level 66
AO—level 101
AA—level 30

The figures provided are on a headcount basis. They include staff in the DTI but exclude casual staff and staff in Executive Agencies. About 8 per cent. of staff have chosen not to respond to the Department's ethnic origin survey.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals she has to increase the number of ethnic minority employees in her Department. [733]

Mr. Griffiths

My Department's recruitment procedures take full account of the need to attract ethnic minority applicants when posts are available. This includes the use of ethnic minority press to advertise vacancies; advertising in inner city job centres; race awareness training and guidance for those involved in recruitment activity; and detailed monitoring of recruitment campaigns.

However, the number of staff in the Department has reduced significantly in recent years, and there has been little recruitment at any level. When there is a need to recruit new staff, the Department will actively seek to attract applications from all sections of the community. It will also keep under review the effectiveness of the Department's recruitment procedures in this respect.