To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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. [78514]

(a) As at 1 March 1999, there were 29 employees in the private offices of Ministers in my Department and other Ministerial support offices, a percentage being from ethnic minorities. In order to protect the privacy of individuals, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of ethnic origin. (b) I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 39. (c) My Department does not have a policy unit. (d) I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 31 March 1999, Official Report, column 710–11.