Current status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24458 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 April 2002, how effective efforts have been to (a) raise awareness within the organisation, (b) diversity proof personnel processes and (c) undertake outreach work with under represented groups.
The Executive appreciates that some aspects of effectiveness are difficult to evaluate. However:(a) its staff survey indicates that the percentage of staff who agreed that the Scottish Executive "values its staff" increased from 38% to 49% from 2000 to 2001. There was also a 2% reduction, over the same period, in the number of individuals who felt that they had been discriminated against (from 10% to 8% of staff);(b) an active programme of equality proofing is currently being pursued, and(c) the Executive's Outreach Project has participated in 11 career fairs and given presentations at six universities and 10 schools since December 2000. It has also held a week-long development programme for minority ethnic students and has in place a diversity placement scheme for summer 2002 which will provide six-week, paid work opportunities for around 20 minority ethnic graduates and undergraduates.