Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.

People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.

Over the past year, the Ministry of Justice has delivered targeted recruitment initiatives to support underrepresented groups through our Life Chance Pathways. These schemes are:

• Going Forward into Employment scheme and the Probation Employment Pathway, which provide opportunities for prison leavers and individuals with convictions;

• Going Forward into Employment Care Leavers pathway, designed for care-experienced individuals; and

• Advance into Justice programme, which supports service leavers and veterans.

These pathways provide tailored support and fair access to employment opportunities across the Department for individuals who face barriers to work.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice participates in the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship Scheme (‘Launch’), a cross-Government initiative led by the Department for Education. This scheme provides 18-month Administrative Officer (AO) or Executive Officer (EO) internships to help young care-experienced individuals gain valuable work experience and progress into employment.