§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish the Third Annual Civil Service Fast Stream Recruitment report. [48813]
§ Dr. David ClarkThe annual Civil Service Fast Stream Recruitment Report was placed in the Library of the House earlier today. It covers the year to 31 March 1998, reporting the results of Fast Stream competitions completed during that period and action undertaken for future competitions.
The report shows that the specialist recruitment in the Civil Service faces increasingly strong competition in the graduate market, especially for those with scientific and numerical skills. However, in line with the experience of other major employers, the generalist schemes have attracted applicant fields which are smaller but of high quality, reflecting the improvements made to the Fast Stream information available to graduates.