§ Mr. VazTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin, at 1 March, of(a) his private office, (b) Government special advisers, (c) his Policy Unit and (d) staff in total.[78515]
§ Ms HewittAt 1 March 1999, records for the Treasury's Ministerial support teams showed that, of those who have provided a self-declaration, there are nine members of staff who are in ethnic minorities. This represents 19.6 per cent. of those who have provided a self-declaration and 17.3 per cent. of the total of these teams.
There can be only up to four Special Advisers in the Treasury. In line with Cabinet Office guidance, information relating to fewer than five people is not disclosed. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave aggregated information on the ethnic origins of the Special Advisers in his written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone) on 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 39.
There is no Policy Unit in HM Treasury. On ethnic origins of Treasury staff in total, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 31 March 1999, Official Report, columns 710–11.