Thank you.
It's odd to be in this gigantic bar today. I have seen lots of you before as I have gone around DCA and various parts of the Court Service and other related agencies. But never before have I met you in a large bar!
I was delighted to have the opportunity of speaking to you today and to go around the various network stands where I was deeply impressed by the vigour, enthusiasm and involvement of all those concerned. It seems a long time since I promised to attend one of these roadshows back at the staff conference in December. Since then I have been described as fat, balding, cheerful, not cheerful - but to be fair I've had a bad press as well! Things have really moved on since then in the wider sense for the DCA and our policy initiatives, and more directly for today's purposes, in our work on Diversity.
I am especially pleased to be able to talk to you here in Leicester. For centuries people of different races and cultures have gathered in Leicester, creating a rich and diverse population. It is good to be in Leicester for this event.
I want to talk to you about three things today:
firstly, I want to talk to you about why diversity matters - nation-wide - and particularly in our organisation;
secondly, I want to talk about our achievements so far - we have come a long way since the birth of the Department for Constitutional Affairs in June last year; and
thirdly, I want to talk a bit about the future.
So first, why is diversity important?
I strongly believe that we live in a diverse society and as such, I support an inclusive society. We must appreciate the individual talents and unique experience that each person has to offer.
The diversity and the solidarity of the DCA, and the DCA related organisations such as the court service, and the Immigration Appellate Authority organisations really matter. I put diversity and solidarity together because they both matter greatly, and we cannot allow one to undermine the other.
First, solidarity. We come from diverse cultures, races and backgrounds. We have different lifestyles, and have made different life-choices. Some of us are disabled. But I think we all have a common understanding of what we are seeking to do in our organisations. We know the importance of a properly functioning court-service. We know why it matters to have an Immigration Appeal Service able to make correct and fair decisions with reasonable speed.
We are joined in a common purpose. We share a vision, and we understand the importance of our organisation to the wider world. That common purpose, and our shared vision, is what our solidarity is based on. It makes us, within our organisations, a community. We know we are stronger together than we ever could be apart, and we know we cannot hope to achieve what the wider community expects from us unless we work together as a team.
We know that solidarity matters hugely to the success of the organisations.
Second, diversity. Our different backgrounds, races, lifestyles, life choices, life experiences, degrees of ability and disability provide two things - a greater and richer experience mix within our organisations. We offer so much more as an organisation if our experience base is large. And much greater understanding - we so much better serve the wider community, if we have a much better insight into the people who we serve. If we do not reflect that community, we will not have that understanding.
Because we share a vision and a common purpose we are all the more able to reflect the diversity in our organisation. The glue of a common purpose allows diversity to flourish. We must recognise that and encourage much more widely than we have in the past diversity, and the benefits which diversity brings.
Because we are a diverse society, we continue to thrive on the world stage. One of the key reasons we didn't go into to recession over the last couple of years was because the UK respects the fact that the 39-hour standard 9 - 5 week doesn't suit everyone. Which is why we are committed to flexible work patterns - shift work, part-time work, joint working, home working… the list goes on. My point is that flexibility is the cornerstone of success for organisations in the twenty-first century.
So if this department with its related organisations is to be what the Prime Minister wants us to be: a modern, thriving, successful Public Service Delivery Department; I want to ensure that we reflect in our staff's composition the composition of the diverse communities we serve.
If we don't do that, we won't be able to deliver the right services - the services that the people of this country need - because we won't understand what those needs are. We won't understand why a single mum can't make it to court on Wednesday because her child goes to nursery on a Tuesday. We won't understand why a first generation woman from Bangladesh might not want to talk to a male court clerk. We won't understand why someone who may have been born as a man wants to live their life as a woman. We won't understand the frustrations of a blind litigant who is offered only written materials to prepare their case. But if we have a workforce that reflects society, we will be able to understand those things.
A Diverse workforce is a competent workforce. It is a flexible workforce - a workforce with insight into the community we serve. The glance of a common purpose allows for diversity.
But with that need to be diverse, comes a responsibility to truly respect that diversity. And that brings me to my second point today.
We have come a long way in the past 10 months and in the years before. Talking to the Disability Network in December and talking to them again today, I saw eagerness and dedication hampered by understaffing and low resources.
Nick Smedley's Minority Report, which I hope all of you have seen, has been a huge step forward. I am extremely grateful for his hard work. I am grateful to all those who contributed to that report.
We now have Corporate Board level ownership of the Department's Diversity agenda. We are recruiting a Diversity Director at SCS level. We are continuing work on Positive Action Training, a Scheme developed to redress the detrimental effect of past discrimination. And also on Mainstreaming Plus, which means mainstreaming diversity into every aspect of the Department's work, whilst at the same time, ensuring that a robust approach to measurement and monitoring is in place, so that diversity does not become lost in the Department's daily business.
This Department takes diversity seriously. I take diversity seriously. I know you take diversity seriously. That is why I endorse the suggestion in the Minority Report that the Networks should have two meetings a year with senior management and the Ministerial team. I want to listen to your experiences, and your suggestions directly, not always filtered through the layers of senior management. We must work closely together, if we are to succeed.
But let's not forget that just setting up the Networks was a massive step forward for the Department.
I am impressed by the dedication and motivation of those who work for and with the Networks. They are a great example of the calibre of the people we have. The list of achievements that the Networks have made is impressive - could I just name a few:
Since October 2003 the Membership of the Disability Network has increased by 78%. There is also a steady increase of associated members (that is, members without disabilities) - ensuring that diversity is not seen as a minority issue - which proves the Networks are leading the way in the Department;
the fact that Government Ministers from other Departments call on members of the PROUD Network to join discussion groups about race issues - proves the Networks are leading the way in Whitehall;
the Rainbow Network's pioneering research into the experience of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Trans-gendered staff in the Department - proves the Networks are leading the way in the public sector;
the fact that the Carers network have affiliated my Department with Employers for Carers and the Carers UK Networks - proves the Networks are leading the way in building UK relationships.
These achievements bear even greater weight when we think that for a long time, the Networks lacked resources and visible and structured central commitment. Not that the commitment wasn't there, but it wasn't visible. It wasn't clear. I know that the achievements I have listed here are the result of long hours and huge effort, very often fighting through business put in the way. I am extremely grateful to you all.
The Networks are a real staff resource and are in a unique position. A position from which to support but also, just as importantly, to challenge. I want that function to continue to be a feature of the Network foundations. Without that we won't know when we are doing well, and more importantly when we are not doing well. If we are to succeed in truly respecting Diversity, and benefiting from it - whether that be on meeting targets for BME staff and staff with disabilities in the senior civil service, supporting an innovative range of working hours options, or celebrating differences in age, sexual orientation, sex and faith - we must have an open and honest dialogue.
We have achieved a lot do - not underestimate that - and we must celebrate it. But we have a long way to go - we do have one BME member of the SCS and four with disabilities, but we can do more to build on these figures. We need to keep the momentum of the past few months going.
There is real commitment, at all levels, to implement the Minority Report. There is real commitment to getting it right. I hope you will continue to work with us. Over the next few months Nick will be approaching you to help make the workstreams coming out of the Report a success. I urge you to accept his invitation to co-operate.
And the Unified Administration represents another opportunity for the Department. The Department is about to double in size. All those extra people and all their experiences will be a great asset. We must work with them to find opportunities to grow and develop and to become more diverse.
Both these challenges will require skills and more hard work. But I can see from our impressive track record that we are more than capable of meeting them.
So there is a big agenda. It is a challenging agenda. But I know that with real commitment on all sides - and I hope I have demonstrated my commitment today - we will succeed in being a leading light on diversity in Government.