Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office recruits on the basis of fair and open competition in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles, as it did throughout the period of the previous administration. There has been no change to HR recruitment processes since the current Government took office. On the specific question asked by the Rt Hon Member, I refer him to the answer provided on 3 March to Question 114470.