Clerks

HC Deb 07 January 2003 vol 397 cc63-4W

Keith Vaz

To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many(a) Clerks of the House and (b) Clerks of Committees are (i) black and (ii) Asian. [89325]

Sir Archy Kirkwood

The House of Commons Commission currently employs 303 individual members of staff (including part-timers) in the Department of the Clerk of the House. Of these, 241 (approximately 80 per cent.) have completed ethnic monitoring forms, which are voluntary. The figures for members of staff in post on 31 December 2002 were:

Of staff in the Department of the Clerk of the House, 3.31 per cent. declared themselves to be from ethnic minorities, of whom:

• 1.24 per cent. declared themselves to be black
• 2.07 per cent. declared themselves to be Asian

Of Committee staff, 5.18 per cent. declared themselves to be from ethnic minorities, of whom:

• 2.59 per cent. declared themselves to be black
• 2.59 per cent. declared themselves to be Asian