§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in(a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents. [144978]
§ Fiona MactaggartStatistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities is available on the Civil Service Statistics website at: http://www. civil-Service.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/disability-oct03.pdf
This information is also available in the Libraries of the House. The latest statistics show that in my Department there are no senior civil servants with a disability.
The Department is concerned that there are no known disabled staff in the Senior Civil Service (SCS) and we are implementing an action programme to address the position.
There are significant numbers of staff with disability at junior and middle management levels and this should lead eventually in to senior levels. Reasonable adjustments are provided at promotion and selection boards for disabled candidates and we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled staff who meet minimum requirements for vacancies.