§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what directions he has given to the Environment Agency about increasing the proportion of its staff recruited from ethnic minorities; and how many board members of the agency are from ethnic minorities. [124795]
§ Mr. MeacherNo direction has been given to the Environment Agency, by the DETR, about increasing the proportion of its staff recruited from ethnic minorities. However, the Environment Agency does have its own Diversity Policy and statement and it is widening its links with ethnic organisations.
None of the current Environment Agency board members are from an ethnic minority background. However, the DETR is taking rigorous action as part of its current equal opportunities plan for public appointments, to appoint more people from this group to the boards of public bodies as a whole. Currently 5.8 per cent. of all appointments are filled by people from ethnic minorities against the Department's present end-2000 target of 6 per cent..