Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to increase the (a) number of civil servants from disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) socio-economic diversity of civil servants.

The Declaration on Government Reform, announced in June, committed the Civil Service to draw on the broadest pool of talent possible. This means that the Civil Service should seek to hire people from varied social and career backgrounds and people from across every part of the UK; including citizens from minority ethnic backgrounds, those living with disabilities and those who have experienced disadvantage in their early lives. The Civil Service is committed to making sure all of these people can flourish in public service. The Civil Service is also looking beyond London - to all corners of the UK - to make sure that it is representative of the communities the Government serves.

A wide range of schemes, programmes and initiatives are aimed at fulfilling that commitment:

• The Places for Growth programme will bring the government closer to the people it serves, relocating 22,000 roles out of London by 2030 including 50% of Senior Civil Service roles. Over 1,000 roles are to be moved to Scotland, Birmingham and Darlington each, and by 2025, 550 roles will be moved to Stoke-on-Trent.

• Apprenticeships are a key mechanism for improving the diversity of the Civil Service, as set out in the Declaration on Government Reform. 40% of our apprenticeship intake is from a lower socio-economic background, which provides a more socially diverse talent pipeline into the Civil Service, and provides more opportunities for apprenticeships outside of London.

• We are extending our outreach and internship programmes. We are improving socio-economic diversity through the Early Diversity Internship programme, for those in their first year at university, providing work experience for people from underrepresented groups including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

• The Fast Stream continues to seek out candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds and although the number of candidates appointed from lower socio-economic groups tripled between 2016 and 2021 to 12.8%, the Government recognises the need to do more. We have, therefore, developed a new ‘target university list’ to further boost applications from people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. And, the Summer Diversity Internship Programme for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic minorities and those with a disability, offers a fast pass to the final stage of the Fast Stream for successful participants giving them a greater chance of success.

• The Going Forward into Employment scheme is run by the Civil Service Commission, which is hosted by the Cabinet Office. There are 28 accredited life chance schemes in operation across the Civil Service. These help groups of people such as veterans, military partners/spouses and prison leavers find work placements and fixed-term opportunities across Civil Service departments. The programme helps those people overcome barriers associated with entering the Civil Service and supports them into roles. Not only does the scheme help improve their life chances, but it helps make the Civil Service more representative of the country it serves.