Select Committee on Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Written Evidence


Reply to questionnaire by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR GENDER EQUALITY DUTY

1.   What practical measures have you taken to implement the duty in relation to the employees of your Department? Have you undertaken an equal pay audit, or another survey, to detect any barriers to the full participation of women in your workforce? What have you done to address under-representation of women in specific grades or types of post?

  The practical measures we have taken to implement the FCO's Gender Equality Scheme (GES) include:

    —  The appointment of new FCO Board Diversity Champions for Gender and Flexible Working.

    —  The appointment of an Equality & Diversity Director from the private sector, at senior management level, to drive forward the diversity strategy and help embed equality and diversity, including gender diversity, into the culture and behaviour of the organisation.

        The introduction of a diversity scorecard to help Directors set personal diversity objectives and measure performance against four specific criteria (committed, confident, creative and communicating).

    —  The launch of a new Women's Network for the Senior Management Structure (SMS) (SCS equivalent).

    —  Enabling line managers of women sitting the SMS Assessment and Development Centres (ADCs) for promotion to the SMS, to observe ADCs and thus be in a better position to help women officers prepare for the ADC.

    —  Encouraging and facilitating greater inward and outward movement of staff, including women, from and to other Government Departments, public and private sector organisations to offer more opportunities for career progression and wider professional experience.

    —  The introduction of new technology to facilitate remote/home working, helping staff work more flexibly.

    —  Identifying jobs at senior management level, in UK missions overseas, which could be shared or done flexibly, including part-time.

    —  A review of all existing part-time positions at senior management level in the FCO in London to see how these might be improved, done differently and/or extended.

    —  A guarantee that all applications from partners seeking joint postings in overseas missions will be considered alongside single applications.

    —  Piloting new initiatives to help partners with dual careers, including joining "Partnerjob".

    —  The appointment of a senior staff member to work exclusively on expanding and promoting flexible working at all levels in the FCO to help retain the skills and talent of all staff, including those on paid and unpaid leave outside the FCO, and to support staff working flexibly and their managers.

    —  All FCO hiring managers are being asked to consider how all jobs might be done flexibly including job-sharing, part-time and remote working.

    —  An Equal Pay Audit of FCO Pay and Benefits policies in relation to diversity and gender bias, the results of which are expected by the end of 2007.

    —  The introduction of a new diversity training course (Making the Most of Difference) for all staff at home and overseas, challenging behaviours and practices which undermine equality.

    —  The introduction, in 2008, of a revised e-learning diversity package, including modules on gender and atypical working patterns.

    —  Offering the Springboard development programme for women to all female staff in the FCO.

    —  Increased mentoring by senior staff to include underrepresented groups, including women.

    —  Diversity training undertaken by all FCO Board members.

    —  Identification of senior women role models.

2.   Have you reviewed the policies and administrative procedures of your Department for gender bias? What action have you taken to correct any such bias?

  We are introducing a light-touch equality impact screening tool for all proposed major policy and procedural changes. We are also identifying policies (both employment and foreign policy) for equality impact assessment, taking forward case study assessments on post conflict policy in the Democratic Republic of Congo and programme funding in China.

  We are undertaking a major review of data capturing and monitoring systems. A new IT system will enable us to capture increased data on all aspects of diversity and track any issues which might be leading to gender bias or creating barriers to women's progression through the Diplomatic Service.

3.   Have your procurement policies and practices been changed to take account of the gender equality duty? How do they reflect this duty?

  The FCO's Corporate Procurement Group has changed the content of all model contracts to reflect the Gender and other Equality Duties. Invitations to tender (ITT) documents set out the FCO's gender diversity policy, linking directly to the Gender Equality Duty and the FCO's Gender Equality Scheme. Bidders and potential and actual suppliers are asked to provide evidence of their own diversity policies.

  Procurement training material for Management Officers, responsible for sourcing services and supplies in our overseas missions, includes specific references to the Gender Equality Duty and the FCO's Gender Equality Scheme, in relation to procurement processes and decisions.

4.   Generally, are there any differences in your approach to implementing the gender equality duty from your approach to implementing the race equality duty?

  We adopt a common approach to implementing all strands of the FCO's Diversity Equality Scheme.

  The FCO's diversity strategy is based on a broadened approach embracing different skills, ways of thinking, working and leadership styles, knowledge and openness to change as well as more visible aspects of diversity including gender and ethnicity.

  Our aim is that the FCO should be an open, accessible organisation, listening to and taking account of the voices of all groups in society when formulating and implementing the UK's foreign policy priorities; serving all sections of British society and recruiting and retaining an increasingly diverse, talented and high-performing staff who support and develop each other, are capable of developing and delivering effective foreign policy and who are credible representatives of modern Britain, collectively and individually.

September 2007





 
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Prepared 9 February 2008