§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appointments to public bodies were made by his Department in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement. [92513]
§ Ms HewittThe Government announced in their publication "Quangos—Opening up Public Appointments 1999–2002" (copies deposited in the Libraries of both Houses) their commitment to the equal representation of women and men in public appointments and a pro rata representation of members of ethnic minority groups. In moving towards achieving these commitments, the Chancellor's departments have set an ambitious overall goal that women should form a minimum of 40 per cent. of appointments to Chancellor's Departments' Public Bodies by 2003 (or for small bodies that at least one appointment should be held by a woman). There is also a goal that each of the Chancellor's Departments' Public Bodies should include at least one appointment from a member of the ethnic minorities by 2003 and that ethnic minorities should account for a minimum of 4 per cent. of appointments to larger bodies. The following table gives details of appointments made to NDPB's of the Chancellor's departments and agencies over the periods requested. Information on the number of appointments by both gender and ethnic origin cannot be provided since the number of new appointments in each category is less than five.
131W
NDPB Appointments 1997–98 Appointments 1998–99 Policy Holders Protection Board 4 1 Royal Mint Advisory Committee 3 2 Statistics Advisory Committee 2 0