§ Mr. Mike HallTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what percentage of appointees to UK Government sponsored public bodies are(a) disabled people and (b) people with minority ethnic backgrounds. [128059]
§ Mr. AlexanderFurther to my written statement on 16 July 2003,Official Report, column 49WS, I would like to correct the figure given for the percentages of disabled public appointees to public bodies and those with a minority ethnic background. As at 31 March 2003, 5.3 per cent. of public appointments are held by people with a minority ethnic background and 3.1 per cent. by disabled people. Information about the public bodies sponsored by UK Government Departments, and those appointed to serve on them, is available in Public Bodies 2003, revised copies of which have been placed in the Library.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made by the Department in increasing the number of women seeking public appointments since May 2001. [129457]
§ Mr. AlexanderEach Government Department handles the public appointments process for the non-departmental public bodies for which it is responsible.
I will shortly be publishing the annual report on increasing diversity in public appointments, which will contain a section for each department, on their activity, including progress to date against their individual targets for increasing diversity on the boards of the public bodies for which they are responsible. Copies of the report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Wherever possible, my Department encourages individuals from under-represented groups to apply for appointments by clear job descriptions and person specifications, which do not contain unnecessary requirements which might discourage or eliminate their applications.
In addition, my Department actively seeks to identify suitable women candidates through approaches to the Women and Equality Unit at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Women's National Commission.
The progress made by my department is shown in the table.
Total number of appointments
Womem (percentage)
20011,2 103 32 20021,2 101 34 20032 94 35 1For comparison excludes the Women's National Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission, which transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry in May 2002. 2 Information is collected as at 31 March.