Speeches

Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that BAME civil servants struggle more than their white counterparts to reach senior positions in Whitehall.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Government is committed to ensuring a diverse Civil Service that is representative of Modern Britain at all levels.

In 2014, we commissioned external research undertaken by Ethnic Dimension to identify the barriers to progression experienced by talented BAME Civil Servants. The findings informed the Talent Action Plan Refresh published in March 2015 outlining clear actions to develop a greater pool of diverse talent.

Specific actions include a commitment to expand the Positive Action Pathway programme, designed to identify and develop talented BAME employees to secure promotion.

We also plan to introduce Accelerate, an ambitious new talent programme to boost development of the pipeline for future leaders for key Director and Director General roles.