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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Ministers Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

This Government procures on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Mr Francis Maude

To win the global race we need the best civil servants regardless of their background so we must recruit, retain and promote on the basis of merit. We want to see more talented people, whatever their background, reach the very top roles.

There has been for many years a majority of women in the Civil Service but this was not reflected into the Senior Civil Service.

Although there has been a small increase in the proportion of women in the Senior Civil Service since 2010, and in the proportion of civil servants who declare that they are from an ethnic minority background, there is still much to do.

We know that for too long talent management in the Civil Service has been weak. That’s why I have commissioned research to examine the blockages preventing women from reaching the most senior levels of the Civil Service.

A plan to address these issues will be published this summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Andrea Leadsom

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Andrea Leadsom

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Andrea Leadsom

In common with other government departments the Treasury has diversity targets for its workforce (gender, ethnicity and disability), monitors progress and implements diversity initiatives where appropriate.

HM Treasury diversity targets for its Senior Civil Service (SCS)

Group	Target
Women	42 %
BME	5%
Disability	5%

HM Treasury’s diversity targets for its employees below the SCS

Group	Target
Women Range E	50%
Women Range D	50%
BME Range E	14%
BME Range D	18%
Disability Range E	6%
Disability Range D	8%

On progress against the targets the Treasury publishes information on the proportion of its employees by gender, ethnicity and disability by each Civil Service pay scale. The most recent information, March 2013, is in HM Treasury’s Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, page 43, available on the Treasury’s external website.

The March 2014 data will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts 2014 in due course

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Brandon Lewis

It is not possible to provide definitive or meaningful percentages, as (a) not all staff declare their ethnicity, (b) due to the manner in which white ethnicity data is self-reported by staff , and (c) the sample sizes are so small as to be statistically misleading when comparing years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Brandon Lewis

This Government procures on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.

As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 September 2013, Official Report, Column 33WS, on the Government response to the public sector equality duty review, there is clear evidence of equality and diversity policies going too far in the other direction, by imposing unreasonable and expensive burdens on organisations bidding for public sector contracts. The Government has committed to reducing procurement gold-plating by the public sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Brandon Lewis

It is not possible to provide definitive or meaningful percentages, as (a) not all staff declare their ethnicity, (b) due to the manner in which white ethnicity data is self-reported by staff , and (c) the sample sizes are so small as to be statistically misleading when comparing years.