No women have been shortlisted for the role of permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, Sir Simon Fraser has revealed.
Speaking at an Institute for Government event on leadership and reform, the outgoing perm sec expressed regret that no female candidates have been chosen for final interview for his role, which he steps down from at the end of the month.
According to a recent report by the National Audit Office, the proportion of women in senior civil service roles has “steadily” increased since 1996, and as of March 2014 38% of senior roles were occupied by women. However, of the 17 current departmental permanent secretaries, only six are female.
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Responding to a question from IfG programme director Jill Rutter over the lack of women in “plum roles” at the Foreign Office, Fraser acknowledged the need to improve the gender balance.
He said: “When I was interviewed for this job there were two men and two women interviewed, this time – [and] it’s a matter of great regret – there is not a woman in the shortlist for my job.”
However, he said he hoped this would not be the case in the future: “I’m pretty confident that next time there will be some very competitive women coming through within the Foreign Office, and I would hope from outside as well.”
He added: "It’s a fair challenge, I absolutely accept it. But of course you are also dealing with the legacy of what has gone before, and, since it was only in the 1970s that women in the Foreign Office didn’t have to resign when they got married, we’re starting a bit further back from the rest of Whitehall.
“But we have got to respond to that, and you are absolutely right to be holding us to account.”