In a report looking at inclusion in the civil service, the National Audit Office said diversity and inclusion were crucial to boosting performance and implementing reforms amid the government’s deficit reduction plans.
Whitehall has made progress in improving equality, diversity and inclusion, the NAO concluded, but departments could still do more to maximise the contribution of every member of their staff. Despite a series of diversity strategies, there had not been a sustainable change in the civil service.
Although the overall proportion of women in the civil service was 53% in March 2014, it was lower at senior levels (38%) and departmental permanent secretaries (35%). Minority ethnic representation in the civil service had increased from 4% in 1988 to 10% in 2014, but this remained two percentage points below the percentage of minority ethnic people in the working population. BME representation in the senior civil service was lower at 7%.
The report also highlighted an 18-month gap between the end of the previous diversity strategy and the publication of the current Talent Action Plan, in September 2014.
Accountability for the delivery of the plan was not strong enough or supported by clear measurable outcome, the Equality, diversity and inclusion in the civil service report stated.
Although the Cabinet Office is developing a delivery plan to hold departments accountable for diversity improvements, this had not yet been completed, meaning it was not using the data to the full potential to manage workforce changes.
Auditor general Amyas Morse said the civil service needed a workforce that reflected the increasingly diverse society and embraced an inclusive approach.
“This is especially so at a time of ongoing austerity when the service will have to do more with less,” he stated.
“Up to now, the civil service has concentrated upon a central approach to improving the representation of groups with protected characteristics. We consider that building on the progress that has been made will also depend in future on greater emphasis by individual departments upon an ‘inclusive’ approach to managing their civil servants, encompassing all characteristics and all staff.
“Such an approach, rather than solely focusing on levels of representation, is more likely to result in a productive and engaged workforce and the business benefits needed.”
A Cabinet Office spokesman said the civil service was much more diverse than in the past and more diverse than the majority of British employers, but he acknowledged there was still more to do.
“We must become more representative of those we serve in order to truly govern for one nation and open up even more opportunities for people from all backgrounds to progress.
“We now have a diversity champion in every department who will hold our feet to the fire and help implement our Talent Action Plan.”
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS trade union that represents civil servants, said there was a need to do more to ensure the top rank of government officials reflected society.
“We have consistently raised these issues with the Cabinet Office and it is very disappointing it wasted the opportunity to utilise our expertise when developing the latest version of the Talent Action Plan.”
