§ Mr. GrantTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to introduce ethnic monitoring in the reserve forces. [38100]
§ Dr. ReidMy Department is fully committed to promoting within the Armed Forces an environment which is free from harassment and racial discrimination. As part of our efforts to further that commitment, we have decided to begin monitoring the ethnic origin of members of the reserve forces. Monitoring began on 1 April, and will cover all those who are in service, and all those who join the reserve forces in future. Altogether, we expect604W around 68,000 members of the reserve forces to be included in the survey. The Services are writing to units and individuals to invite them to take a full part in it.
The initiative we are taking underlines the commitment that the Armed Forces have made to ensure equal opportunities irrespective of race. The methodology we shall follow for monitoring the reserves is based closely on that which is already in use for the regular Armed Forces. The statistical information derived from monitoring will allow the reserve force managers to analyse recruitment, wastage and other trends; and it will enable them to develop and pursue policies which ensure that racial discrimination of any kind is eradicated from the reserves.
The reserve forces involved are principally those which recruit directly from civilian life. Specifically they are: the Royal Naval Reserve; the Royal Marines Reserve; the Territorial Army; the Royal Auxiliary Air Force; the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training); the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (University Air Squadron); and volunteers to the Royal Air Force Reserve.
Because our reserves are recruited locally, and because many of them serve part time, we do not expect the first statistics from the survey to be available until towards the end of this year. Thereafter, the information will be available quarterly.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines exist for the monitoring of ethnic minority personnel in the armed forces; and what steps are in place to ensure that monitoring practices are continually updated. [36839]
§ Dr. ReidOn 25 March 1998, the MOD and Commission for Racial Equality signed a Partnership Agreement, which ensures that we shall continue to work together with them for a further five years to promote racial equality practices throughout the Services. Effective Ethnic monitoring is a key part of the Agreement to ensure that no policies or practices in the Services are racially discriminatory. We are determined that the quality of our ethnic monitoring of applicants, entrants and in-Service personnel continues to be improved. As well as looking at current and future analysis for emerging trends, and ensuring that sufficient resources are put into making any necessary changes, we will be looking more closely at areas such as performance across all ethnic groups and career progression as more information becomes available.
A copy of the relevant extracts have been placed in the Library of the House.