To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of staff in the Prime Minister's Office are (a) male, (b) female, (c) from an ethnic minority, (d) disabled and (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement. (208399)

The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

The latest available data on the disability status and ethnic background of civil servants in the Cabinet Office are as at 30 September 2006 and are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as ‘Civil Service Statistics 2006’. This can be accessed from the following web-site address:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf

A copy has also been placed in the Library of the House.

Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary. The latest available data on the gender of civil servants are as at 31 December 2007 and are also published by ONS, as part of its wider Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics (QPSES). This can be accessed via the following web-site address:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0308.pdf

A copy has also been placed in the Library of the House.

Information on civil servants’ sexual orientation is not currently compiled or published.