Equality

Work and Pensions written question – answered am ar 17 Gorffennaf 2013.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Philip Davies Philip Davies Ceidwadwyr, Shipley

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department (a) in total and (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Photo of Mark Hoban Mark Hoban The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

The Department is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all staff and to ensuring that equality is built into the services it provides to the 22 million benefit customers we support every year. We employ over 100,000 staff and aim to have a work force which reflects our wide customer base and the diverse communities in which we work. Every person working for the Department has a personal responsibility for implementing and promoting our diversity and equality principles.

The Department has a central diversity and equality team whose role is to ensure compliance with all equality legislation and actively to promote equality and diversity in the development of policies, services, and in the treatment of staff. In addition, staff from across the Department have the opportunity to be involved in national and local staff network Equality Groups which promote diversity awareness.

Information requested for staff in the central team is in the following table, and represents some £8 per member of staff per year. Information on the number of other staff in the Department working on equality and diversity cannot be disaggregated from their wider duties and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on the costs of promoting equality and diversity outside the central team is not held centrally and could also be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Figures for the central diversity and equality team
£
As at March each year: Total Staff costs Headcount (FTE)
2012-13 827,455 794,034 16.29
2011-12 855,715 777,811 14.29
2010-11 966,231 898,461 14.02
FTE = Full-time equivalent

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