§ Mr. EffordTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the Macpherson inquiry recommendations; and if he will make a statement. [80524]
§ Dr. Jack CunninghamThe Home Office published an Action Plan on 23 March containing the Government's detailed response to the specific recommendations of the Macpherson inquiry. The Plan commits the Government to setting out over the coming months how they will take forward their broader vision of an anti-racist society.
The Government have already announced that they will legislate to apply the Race Relations Act, not just to the police service, but across public services as a whole. The Government are seeking to ensure that policy development take account of any race equality implications.
It is also a top priority for the Government to ensure that the Civil Service reflects the full diversity of society, and values the differences that people bring to it. It must 240W be part of, not apart from, the society it serves. I recently launched with Sir Richard Wilson and with the Civil Service Trade Unions a Joint Charter for Action to redress the under-representation of ethnic minorities in the Senior Civil Service. The Civil Service is considering its policies as an employer in the light of the inquiry's recommendations.
The Modernising Government White Paper published on 30 March announced challenging targets for proportions of women and ethnic minorities in the Senior Civil Service. We are also requiring Departments to set targets at levels below this. These targets signal the determination of the Civil Service to address under-representation and change the culture so as to tackle inequality.