---

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's recruitment and advancement strategy and accompanying targets for recruiting (a) Catholics from Northern Ireland, (b) ethnic minorities, (c) women and (d) people with disabilities. [142310] Mr. Hain: A copy of the FCO's strategy for improving minority ethnic representation ("Bridges into the Future") is available in the Library of the House. The Department is currently developing a broader diversity strategy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Departmental Report, to be published in the spring, will give further details. The Department does not have specific targets for the employment of Catholics from Northern Ireland or from any other part of the UK. The Department's objective is that 10 per cent. of recruits to the Diplomatic Service each year should be of minority ethnic origin, that 50 per cent. should be women and that by 2005 disabled staff should account for 3 per cent. of its Senior Management Structure.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

359 c229-30W;359 c227-8W; 142310

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Disability Women Equality Ethnic groups Northern Ireland Recruitment Religion Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk