§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many black and Asian persons have been recruited to the Foreign Office since 1 May 1997. [27949]
§ Mr. Tony LloydFCO staff are not obliged to report their ethnic origins. According to the ongoing voluntary and confidential survey, the FCO has received returns from 13 Black or Asian people who joined the office since 1 May 1997. We know that many new entrants have not yet returned their forms. Irrespective of the actual38W numbers, the FCO is committed to increasing the representation of minority ethnic, and other under-represented, groups.