asked the Prime Minister if she will list the numbers of entrants to her office from the ethnic minorities in the years 1985–86 and 1986–87; if she will also list the monitoring procedures used to ascertain the percentage of the work force represented by ethnic minorities and their patterns of promotion; and what are her methods of recruitment of minorities into the Civil Service.

The ethnic origins of new entrants to the Civil Service have been surveyed since October 1985. The latest available information for the period up to September 1986 for entrants to the Cabinet Office, which includes my office as well as those of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal, is as follows:

	Number
Total new entrants to Cabinet Office in period 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1986	180
Ethnic origins
White	100
Black/Asian	10
Not stated	70
(Numbers rounded to the nearest five to preserve confidentialitly)

A phased programme of departmental surveys of the ethnic origin of non-industrial civil servants by means of voluntary self-classification is being conducted. The majority of non-industrial staff in the Cabinet Office have been included in the regionally phased programme of ethnic surveys covering the areas of London, the south east and East Anglia. Consideration is being given to ways of using the data on the ethnic origin of staff in post to monitor promotion.All Departmental recruitment is conducted on the basis of fair and open competition and selection is on merit. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Privy Council Offfice, on 20 February 1987