Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

The Ministry of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from everyone irrespective of background, identity, experience, or circumstance, and particularly those underrepresented in our workforce. The Department does not appoint candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. Appointments are made in merit order, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.