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Civil Service: Unpaid Work

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeCabinet OfficeTabled Answered 25 June 2026UIN 11148

The question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the policy of the Civil Service People Group is on (a) departments and (b) Arm's Length Bodies restricting access to internship schemes on the basis of (i) race and (ii) ethnicity.

Answered by Satvir Kaur

Individual departments are responsible for recruitment decisions and they are required to meet all obligations of relevant legislation, including the Equality Act 2010. If a department wants to restrict an internship programme to a specific group or groups, it would be expected to ensure on a case by case basis that it complies with the relevant legislation. As a result, as was the case under the previous administration, no central guidance is provided on this matter.

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