§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what options are available to applicants to the Northern Ireland Civil Service when declaring their religion on its fair employment monitoring form; what plans he has to amend the arrangements to cater for a wider variety of community backgrounds; and if he will make a statement. [142691]
§ Mr. PearsonSince 1990, employers in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), have had a legal duty under fair employment legislation to monitor the community background of their workforces and of those applying to fill vacancies.
The legislation requires the NICS to ask applicants, in writing, whether they belong to the Protestant or the Roman Catholic community or to neither community. The NICS meets this requirement by asking each applicant to complete an equal opportunities monitoring form, which is included with every job application form. Applicants are asked to select one of the following options:
I have a Protestant community backgroundI have a Roman Catholic community background331WI have neither a Protestant nor a Roman Catholic community backgroundThere are no plans to amend the monitoring Regulations and, as the NICS is bound by these Regulations, neither are there plans to change the Service's current arrangements to include other community backgrounds.