§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many appointments to quangos he made between(a) 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998 and (b) 1 June 1998 and 31 May 1999; and in each case of those how many were members of Britain's (i) Asian and (ii) ethnic minority communities. [92141]
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§ Mr. ByersData on public appointments are not recorded centrally in the form requested. From the information we do hold centrally the details I can give in response to the request are as follows
1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998The total number of appointments made was 121 of which 4 (3.3 per cent.) were members of ethnic minority communities.1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999The total number of appointments made was 214 of which 10 (4.67 per cent.) were members of ethnic minority communities.Full details of all the appointments made, including the identity of those appointed and the positions which they hold, are published in the Government's expenditure plans for DTI for both 1997 and 1998. Given the data that are publicly available about appointments it is not possible to disclose information that further breaks down the categories of ethnic minority appointees as to do so risks identifying individuals without their consent. Data on ethnic origin are gathered for monitoring purposes, not for disclosure leading to possible individual identification.
I also refer the hon. Member to the Department's equal opportunities goals as published, following an announcement by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 25 May 1999, Official Report, columns 116–17, in "Quangos: Opening up Public Appointments 1999–2002". This sets out the DTI goals of achieving a year on year increase in the number of people of ethnic minority origin appointed to public bodies rising to 6 per cent. by 2002 (currently 4.4 per cent.) and an increase for the number of women appointees rising to 33 per cent. by 2002 (currently 27 per cent.).
Date Ministers Venue Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 25 February 1998 Mary Harney Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Employment London Minister for Trade 11 January 1999 Tom Kitt Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Trade Dublin Minister for Industry and Energy 21 May 1999 Joe Jacobs Minister of State for Public Enterprise Dublin Irish officials attended as required by their Ministers.