Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question HL16424 on Intelligence Services: Voluntary Work, whether the Office for Equality and Opportunity have advised on the status of White Irish as an ethnic minority.

No. The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) signposts government departments to ethnicity standards set by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an independent organisation. However, it is down to individual departments to decide whether categories within that standard are best suited for them. As such, rules regarding the eligibility for the Summer Intelligence Internship is a decision for the Secret Intelligence Service.