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Written Ministerial Statement

Cabinet Office

16 May 2008
Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office: Written Ministerial Statement on Report on Civil Service Fast Stream Recruitment 2007.

Tom Watson MP

The 2007 Fast Stream Recruitment Report is published on-line at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ today. It summarises the results of Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment competitions completed in the year ending November 2007.

Headline figures from 2007 are as follows.

• Applications fell very slightly to 13,619 in 2007 from 13,945 in 2006
• The proportion of candidates recording a disability and recommended for appointment was 8.7 per cent
• 45 per cent of successful candidates were women
• 9.5 per cent of successful candidates were from ethnic minorities
• The proportion of successful candidates from Oxford and Cambridge Universities was 31.3 per cent

The Fast Stream selection process is subject to continuous review, and particular care is taken to avoid adverse impact on any particular groups of applicants. We shall continue to work to improve Fast Stream recruitment from the point of view of both applicants and employing departments.

The Fast Stream remains a popular career choice, and has featured continuously in the Times Top 10 Graduate Employers since the survey's inception. Over the last five years it has attracted an average of 14,000 applications a year.

Copies of the Report have been placed in the Library.