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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Unpaid Work

Asked by Mr Richard HoldenConservativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 6 January 2025UIN 21057

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is (a) his Department's and (b) the Environment Agency's policy on the use of positive discrimination in the recruitment process for internships.

Answered by Emma Hardy

The core department, Defra, and its Non-Departmental Public Bodies, including the Environment Agency, comply with all legislation relevant to recruitment and will only target an internship recruitment campaign to a specific group as a proportionate form of positive action to address known workforce gaps, undertaken to achieve a legitimate aim in accordance with section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.

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