§ Mr. CrausbyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the total workforce in her Department is of ethnic minority origin; and what steps she is taking to encourage the employment of people from the ethnic minorities in her Department. [102732]
§ Clare Short7.8 per cent. of DFID' s Civil Service staff are of ethnic minority origin.
Our recruitment adverts state that we are committed to a policy of equal opportunities and encourage applicants from all sectors of the community. Vacancies are advertised by various means, including national newspapers, professional journals, several south-east London newspapers with a broad readership base, and local job centres. For posts and grades where there is a particular lack of representation from certain sectors of the community, our advertisements now carry a specific invitation, encouraging under-represented groups to apply. Selection is on merit.
We took part in a recruitment fair in London in the summer of 1999 specifically aimed at ethnic minority graduates and we plan to do so again in 2000.