To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to increase the diversity of public appointments.

In June this year, the Government updated its Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan which sets out steps for improving the diversity of public appointees. The Prime Minister remains committed to this plan, including the aspirations that by 2022, 50% of all appointees should be female, and 14% of appointments made should be to those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The latest figures show that 43% of appointees are female compared to 39% in March 2014. The recent report from the Commissioner for Public Appointments shows that 11.9% of appointments made in 2018/19 were to those from ethnic minorities compared to 8% in 2013/2014.