To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin, at 1 March, of (a) his private office, (b) Government special advisers, (c) his Policy Unit and (d) staff in total. [78508]
| £ | |||||
| Benefit | Rate when introduced | Date of introduction | Current rate | Value at April 1999 if increased in line with prices since date introduced1 | Value at April 1999 if increased in line with prices earnings since date introduced2 |
| Widow's payment | 1,000 | April 1988 | 1,000 | 1,608.15 | 1,827.15 |
| Income Support—Capital limits | |||||
| Lower | 3,000 | April 1988 | 3,000 | 4,627.35 | 5,481.25 |
| Upper | 6,000 | April 1988 | 8,000 | 9,254.60 | 10,962.35 |
| Child's | 3,000 | April 1988 | 3,000 | 4,627.35 | 5,481.25 |
| Family Credit—Capital limits5 | |||||
| Lower | 3,000 | April 1988 | 3,000 | 4,627.35 | 5,481.25 |
| Upper | 6,000 | April 1988 | 8,000 | 9,254.60 | 10,962.35 |
| Child's | 3,000 | April 1988 | 3,000 | 4,627.35 | 5,481.25 |
| Income Support | 5.00 | April 1988 | 5.00 | 7.70 | 9.20 |
| Earnings | 10.00 | October 1996 | 10.00 | 10.70 | 11.40 |
| Disregard3 | 15.00 | April 1988 | 15.00 | 23.15 | 27.40 |
| Housing Benefit | 5.00 | April 1988 | 5.00 | 7.70 | 9.20 |
Information on the ethnic origin of civil servants is collected using a voluntary, confidential questionnaire. The number and percentage of ethnic minority staff in Ministers' private offices in this Department are set out in the table.
| Number of Staff | Number of ethnic minority staff | Percentage of ethnic minority staff | |
| Private Office | 45 | 6 | 13.3 |
Note:
The number of staff is based on the number of respondents.
For information on staff total, my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office will be providing a central response. For information on special advisers, I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone) on 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 39.