11 February 2000
As part of the government's drive to encourage more applicants from ethnic minorities, Mowlam set out a series of initiatives to banish the service's poor image and to encourage more diversity across the civil service.
Speaking at a conference on February 7, Mowlam announced the appointment of a senior adviser to increase recruitment and secondment from ethnic minority communities.
Her announcement followed the appointment of Haringey chief executive Garbux Singh as chair of the Commission for Racial Equality. He will replace Sir Herman Ouseley, who stepped down on January 31, and is the first Asian to be appointed to the position.
In a separate announcement, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions unveiled new guidance on equality aimed at the government's regeneration programme, the New Deal for Communities.
As part of the DETR's inter-departmental remit, local government minister Hilary Armstrong set out a blueprint to tackle issues of institutional racism and racial harassment, particularly in communities with low ethnic minority populations.
Ministers are acutely aware of the need to increase the number of ethnic minority staff in the public sector, following the damning report last year by Sir William Macpherson into the police in the wake of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence.
PFfeb2000
