HC Deb 22 May 2000 vol 350 c335W
Dr. Gibson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure members of ethnic minority groups are not discriminated against in entry to universities. [122787]

Mr. Wicks

We are taking a range of measures to widen participation in Higher Education. The Higher Education Funding Council for England provides £18 million to Higher Education institutions through a 5 per cent. premium for students from disadvantaged areas. In his speech of 10 May 2000 to the AUT Conference, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a further £4 million for this fund and set out a series of steps which we will be taking to put in place a coherent package of support in order to widen participation. We hope to make further announcements in the autumn. Many of the ethnic communities who need help most will benefit from these measures.

We are also tackling the under-representation of ethnic minorities among teaching staff in Higher Education. In his letter of 23 November 1999 to the Funding Council, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expressed his deep concern about the present position on equal opportunities for HE staff. He also stated that all institutions are expected to have acted upon the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education recommendations to have equal opportunities policies in place, that barriers to recruitment and progression should be removed and that institutions should be fully accountable for the implementation of these changes.

Dr. Gibson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the study by the Higher Education Funding Council on the likelihood of graduates from ethnic minority groups finding employment. [122788]

Mr. Wicks

I am aware that the Higher Education Funding Council for England's preliminary work for the development of performance indicators confirms our own understanding that graduates from ethnic minorities are less likely to be in employment than white graduates with similar qualifications. This is not acceptable. The Government are actively committed to equal opportunity in employment and to tackling racial discrimination in the workplace.