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Intelligence Services: Voluntary Work

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeWomen and EqualitiesTabled Answered 23 June 2026UIN 9615

The question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question HL16424 on Intelligence Services: Voluntary Work, whether the Office for Equality and Opportunity have advised on the status of White Irish as an ethnic minority.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

No. The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) signposts government departments to ethnicity standards set by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an independent organisation. However, it is down to individual departments to decide whether categories within that standard are best suited for them. As such, rules regarding the eligibility for the Summer Intelligence Internship is a decision for the Secret Intelligence Service.

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