Foreword
This report sets out how we are mainstreaming equality into the work of National Records of Scotland (NRS) and summarises our progress in achieving our equality outcomes since the publication of our previous 2021 report.
The work of NRS is about Scotland’s People. We are tasked to preserve our past, record the present and inform the future. To do so meaningfully it is vital that we are able to understand and also reflect the rich diversity of our nation.
Our mainstreaming report shows the progress we are making in embedding equality
in everything we do. It identifies areas where we will continue to improve, to ensure inclusion is part of our culture and practised consistently across our organisation.
This report captures what we have achieved. Some highlights were ensuring the collection of the Census 2022 was fully accessible, continuing to improve how users access the information we hold and making sure the diversity of experience of Scotland’s people is represented within that information.
The report also signals our ambitions for the coming two years, presenting a full refresh of our Equality Outcomes around our purpose, our services and our culture. These align with our strategic commitments and business priorities, and include providing information on the protected characteristics of the people of Scotland, and developing our services further to meet the needs of users. They will ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are a core part of our decision making processes moving forward.
I look forward to being able to report further progress in the future.
Janet Egdell
1. Introduction
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the roll out of Census 2022, publication of our 2021 Equality Mainstreaming Duty Report and short term Equalities Outcomes for the period 2022 to 2023 was delayed until February 2022. The decision to publish short-term Equality Outcomes was taken to allow us the time needed to undertake further consultation and engagement work to fully refresh our Equality Outcomes.
This report describes the progress that National Records of Scotland (NRS) has made in mainstreaming and promoting equality since the publication of our previous report, along with our fully refreshed Equality Outcomes for the period 2023 to 2025.
This report provides information from all of the main business areas across NRS to demonstrate our progress in achieving our short term Equality Outcomes (see Annex A). This information also demonstrates how, in the exercise of all our functions, we have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This is the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other prohibited conduct;
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not; and
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
2. About us
NRS is a non-ministerial department, part of the Scottish Administration. It is headed by a Chief Executive, who fulfils the role of two non-ministerial office-holders, the Registrar General for Scotland (RGS) and the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (Keeper).
NRS contributes to the achievement of the Scottish Government’s primary purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth by aligning aims and objectives with the Programme for Government, Scotland’s Economic Strategy and National Performance Framework. As a non-ministerial department we also have our own identity and have developed our own Strategy, on which we are about to engage with staff and stakeholders.
NRS performs the registration and statistical functions of the RGS and the archival and public records functions of the Keeper, including maintaining the archives as one of Scotland’s five National Collections. We hold UK Accredited Archive status.
NRS collects, preserves and produces information about Scotland’s people and history, and makes it available to inform current and future generations.
The organisation holds records spanning the 12th to the 21st centuries which touch on virtually every aspect of Scottish life and is the repository for the public and legal records of Scotland but we also have many local and private archives.
NRS holds and makes available one of the most varied collections of records in Britain.
The organisation provides a leadership role for archive and record professionals, and requires 250 named public authorities to submit records management plans for agreement by the Keeper.
The organisation oversees the registration of life events including births, marriages, deaths, civil partnerships, divorces and adoptions, making available to customers certain public records about individuals. NRS is also responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and civil partnership, and the conduct of civil marriage, and for overall leadership of the registration service in Scotland.
The organisation takes the census of Scotland’s population, prepares and publishes regular demographic statistics revealing the size and characteristics of the population and households of Scotland.
NRS also maintains for the Scottish Government, the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) and facilitates the delivery of a national infrastructure for data linkage research and analysis as part of the national Data Linkage Framework. The organisation also support stakeholders and partners with legal search services and transmission of court records.
NRS has a global audience for its work, with people all over the world researching their Scots ancestry, accessing NRS records online or as part of a visit to Scotland, and the Scottish Register of Tartans attracts worldwide interest.
Strategic Objectives and Goals
Vision: To preserve the past, record the present and inform the future.
Mission: Increase our reach and impact and be recognised as a trusted, expert and professional organisation.
Ethos: We put people at the heart of what we do and deliver in accordance with our values.
Values:
- Professional: Collaborating to share our professional skills and knowledge whilst increasing our skills and expertise.
- Respectful: Listening to and respecting different views, learning from others to expand our knowledge and grow together.
- Accountable: Being responsible for what we do, delivering with transparency and clarity of purpose.
- Customer-Focused: Knowing our customers to understand their needs, delivering a positive experience and encouraging feedback to improve what we do.
NRS is currently reviewing its strategic purpose and goals, which will include engagement with staff and stakeholders.
3. Progress in mainstreaming equality
This section details the progress NRS has made in mainstreaming equality since the last Mainstreaming Report (2021).
3.1. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Assurance Group
Following the delivery of NRS’ 2021 Equality Mainstreaming Duty Report, a need for ongoing governance arrangements for oversight of delivery of the NRS-wide Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda was identified. In April 2022, NRS established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Assurance Group to address this need and to oversee our work to mainstream equality across NRS. The Group meets on a monthly basis and brings together leadership representatives from across all NRS Directorates and relevant business areas.
3.2. Equality Outcome Refresh
Over the last year, the EDI Assurance Group oversaw work to fully refresh NRS’s organisational Equality Outcomes, as reported in section 6 of this report. These Equality Outcomes have been developed following extensive engagement with and consideration of evidence by members of the EDI Assurance Group, and through broad engagement with NRS staff. This engagement was undertaken to ensure that NRS took reasonable steps to involve people with protected characteristics in the development of its Equality Outcomes. This approach meets the requirements of The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012.
Evidence was gathered from across NRS and reviewed by EDI Assurance Group members to develop Equality Outcomes under the themes of ‘Our Services’ and ‘Our Purpose’. This work primarily focused on identifying priority areas to address through Equality Outcomes our ‘external’ NRS functions, including maintenance and development of Scotland’s archives; making records available; administration of civil registrations; and publishing demographic statistics and undertaking the Census.
A third equality outcome, under the theme of ‘Our Culture’, was developed through staff engagement. Following a campaign aimed at raising awareness and encouraging voluntary participation, we completed an anonymised staff survey and separate engagement sessions to gather evidence. We also asked staff about the extent to which they agreed on the identified areas of focus for the two outcomes developed under the themes of ‘Our Services’ and ‘Our Purpose’. This approach ensured that NRS staff were fully bought-into the equality outcome that directly affects them and relates to workplace environment and culture.
These Equality Outcomes were reviewed by the NRS’s senior leadership team in December 2022 and approved. These outcomes will be used to inform the development of an action plan covering the financial years 2023/4 and 2024/5.
3.3. Equality-related impact assessments
NRS is committed to understanding the impacts of our actions on equality considerations and how we can contribute to social policy objectives like reducing inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage and supporting island communities.
NRS has developed an integrated impact assessment policy process that combines an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA), a Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA) and an Island Community Impact Assessment (ICIA) process to help us understand the impact of our actions and to comply with our legal obligations.
This impact assessment process allows us to consider planned activities against the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the Fairer Scotland Duty and the duty to have regard to island communities in carrying out our functions. Embedding these assessments as an integrated process at the earliest development phase ensures consideration of EDI issues and appropriate actions are embedded in all projects, programmes and routine business.
3.4. Procurement
NRS follows the best practice Scottish Procurement Policy guidance that is provided in the Procurement Journey ensuring that we comply with and, where appropriate, promote equalities legislation and policy. The Sustainable Procurement Duty was introduced in the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014), which legislates for Public Sector Buyers to consider Sustainable Procurement for all contracts over £50k. The duty requires Public Sector Buyers to think about how improvements can be made to the Social, Environmental and Economic Wellbeing of the areas(s) which we operate in with a particular focus on reducing inequality.
The Equality Act 2010 has placed a number of conditions upon Contracting Authorities in relation to procurement. Where applicable, it is important to ensure that the contracts will be fully accessible by the protected groups in the community, either as tenderers or as NRS customers. We will ensure that the contracts reflect equality and sustainability considerations where applicable, and that these issues are appropriately covered within the contract documentation.
We promote the need for an integrated impact assessment to be completed as early in the process as possible as part of the Business Case which defines the business need and what is to be procured prior to the procurement commencing. To aid this, a procurement strategy will be completed for all procurements with an estimated contract value over £50k. This ensures that the key issues have been considered and ensure that the stakeholders creating specifications for future contracts have fully considered their obligations in relation to equality impacts early in the procurement process. Procurement will ensure that these areas are sufficiently covered within the ITT documentation, and where relevant and possible, include such requirements within the tender evaluation criteria.
In line with section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, NRS publish an annual Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement which outline the steps taken to minimise the potential risk of modern slavery in its business and supply chains. This includes annual updates on procurement steps which include our sustainable procurement obligations and highlights relevant organisational policies such as the Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy.
4. Progress in Delivering our Equality Outcomes 2021-23
The following section provides information demonstrating how we have progressed towards achievement of our short-term Equality Outcomes.
4.1. ‘Our Purpose’
“People are better informed about groups with protected characteristics as a result of our work gathering, managing and publishing statistical and archival information. In the exercise of our functions we understand and are sensitive to the needs of people who share a protected characteristic”.
Information and Record Services (IRS) has completed the data gathering phase of information about our uncatalogued archival material – the logjam project. This project estimates the complexity and priority of collections description work based on a number of prioritised weightings, which are then used to prioritise resource allocation on the cataloguing of these archival records. Since February 2022, archivists have been scoring these collections against the following set criteria: stakeholder needs, security considerations and equality, diversity and inclusion opportunities. We have also been approached by The National Archives (UK) to discuss the project and key findings. We hope to look at how to share best practice methodology with the wider archive sector in the future.
The EDI assessment considers whether the collection contains archival information pertaining to marginalised communities or protected characteristic groups. If the collection meets this criteria it receives an increased priority score, which can be used to allocate cataloguing resource to make these currently unlisted collections discoverable in the near term. The project has put EDI considerations at its centre, with a view to embedding EDI in our culture and practice and to promote the understanding, experiences and histories of people across Scotland from protected characteristic groups.
IRS has established an equality working group and it is actively developing an action plan to address recommendations from the internal EDI in Archives: First Steps report (Dec 2021, with regular reviews and updates from Nov 2022). This action plan will set out how we will address:
- The creation of a community of interest for resources to support equality, diversity and inclusion in archival practices;
- Embedding EDI in archival accessioning processes, as part of the accessioning review;
- Publication of a distressing language alert on the archive catalogue and guide pages of the NRS website. A mapping exercise has been completed and has identified all relevant pages that require this alert. A statement has been placed on the principal external online archive catalogue page for a trial period, followed by review and then wider publication on all relevant pages; and
- Planning for a future Gap Analysis of NRS collection in order to pinpoint future areas of collecting which represent more fully Scotland’s communities.
Specific objectives for the IRS working group are currently being set for 23/24 and EDI is also represented in the wider IRS forward plan for 23/24.
We continue to respond to individuals seeking information from closed records to help make sense of past events in their lives. We work with court, government and private depositors – the Data controllers of this information – to help applicants identify supporting evidence of their ‘in care’ status.
We are working with colleagues in Redress Scotland to provide them with access to data to support work with bereaved families and working with the Scottish Government Child Abuse inquiry.
NRS have continued ongoing support for faith and culture communities’ needs in regard to swift burial through changes and adaptations of the death certification system (including percentages of cases selected for review, advance registrations and work with public partners).
We are building disability awareness / provision into the new provisions on remote death, still-birth and birth in the Covid Recovery Act through guidance to authorities on how future services can be configured. For example, even where a council wishes to deploy primarily remote means of registration for these events, they will still need to provide access to in-person registration where, for instance, a customer needs physical support to participate, such as signing or visual aids.
We are working with the Gender recognition team in Scottish Government’s Family Law Unit on key process and policy issues pertaining to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Statistical Services are working with the Scottish Government on the Equality Data Improvement Programme, to strengthen Scotland’s equality evidence base. As well as improving evidence and analysis on equality and diversity, this programme will be used to develop Scotland’s next Equality Evidence Strategy. In partnership with the Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and Research Data Scotland, we are developing a new dataset for research on the protected characteristics of Scotland’s population. These actions will help researchers and policymakers to improve service delivery and outcomes for people in Scotland, based on their protected characteristics.
We provide extracts of protected characteristics information from the Census, for use in research spanning a range of health and social science topics. Since March 2022 we have supported 15 bespoke projects, and a further 40 using the Scottish Longitudinal Study. Communication of the knowledge gained through these projects is through academic conferences and journal publications. To give an example, at the International Population Data Linkage Network conference in Edinburgh, September 2022: 8 talks focused on research which includes census protected characteristics information.
We make available on our website a range of statistical publications which are used to inform people about protected characteristics. These cover the broad areas of demography, households and vital events (births, deaths and marriages). We have also developed infographics and data visualisations to help improve the effectiveness of our dissemination and increase the reach and impact of statistics broken down by equality characteristics. To give an example, from March 2022 to January 2023, our webpage on deaths involving coronavirus in Scotland was visited approximately 53,000 times, with individual spreadsheets of data being downloaded up to 2,000 times. The information we communicate has been used to inform and shape public debate and policy around key public health issues such as Scotland’s high numbers of drug-related deaths, as well as deaths among the homeless.
NRS staff are applying Plain English principles to statistical reports and improving the accessibility of our outputs (e.g. spreadsheets). These improvements will benefit all customers, including those with disabilities. For example, in 2022, we ran a series of plain English workshops with statisticians. This resulted in six statistics publications being reduced in word count by an average of a third. We have also started rolling out a more accessible version of our spreadsheets as each publication is updated. As of January 2023, the spreadsheets for over 40% of our publications were in this more accessible format.
We are working on ways of getting our statistics out to the people they are about. We worked with independent producers Red Sky on the production of a 2-part BBC documentary called ‘Who lives in Scotland?’. It was based on NRS statistics and what they show about how the population is changing and what this means for all of us. It covered topics such as health, ageing, disability, nationality, and the experiences of people moving to Scotland from other countries. A prime-time BBC TV programme such as this reaches a far wider audience then most government statistics. We won an Analysis in Government award for this work, in the Communication category.
Scotland’s Census is the official count of every person and household in the country. There has been a census in Scotland every 10 years since 1801, except 1941. The answers people give to census questions help build up a picture of the population.
Scotland’s Census is a unique data collection exercise, it asks a wide range of questions of all of the Scottish population with regard to a common reference date, at the same time of year, each decade, allowing comparability over time. Every household in Scotland has a legal responsibility to complete a census questionnaire.
Many aspects of census data are either not gathered, or not gathered comprehensively through other survey activities. The census not only gathers data at a Scotland level, it contributes to UK population statistics and provides data at localities right down to sub postcode level. This means the census offers a detailed and accurate snapshot of the nation. The information the census collects has many uses. Government and other service providers rely on census data to make important decisions. The 2021 census in Scotland was moved to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The design of Scotland’s Census 2022, in common with other modern UK censuses, combines a number of elements, including the census collection, the Census Coverage Survey, the use of administrative data and a range of statistical tools, techniques and methodologies to produce the high quality outputs users require.
The census collection phase took place between 28 February and 1 June 2022 and saw significant engagement across Scotland. The digital online collection worked well with a range of other options for those who didn’t wish to, or were not able to, respond online. As well as online services and paper questionnaires, we offered help and support over the phone and on the doorstep. Around 2.3 million households completed the census, 89% of which did so online (over 2 million households).
In developing a census which is inclusive, NRS consulted a wide range of stakeholders around census development and testing to ensure the census was easy for all people in Scotland to complete. Our design did specifically acknowledge that response rates vary by location and NRS understood that not everyone would be able to complete their census online. Subsequently, additional provisions were made for specific groups within the population who had been identified as less likely to complete, or less likely to complete online. Our user research identified the following groups:
a) Young adults (not living with parents) – both students and non-students
b) DE socio-economic groups/high deprivation/low income
c) Parents of young children (aged up to 5 years old)
d) Those aged 75+
e) Those in Minority Ethnic communities
f) Those with physical, emotional or learning disabilities/difficulties
g) Gaelic speakers
h) Those living in rural locations.
This research informed our marketing campaign, engagement strategy and the overall service offer. The implemented design supported people to return online, via paper forms (including large print versions), telephone completion and, at the end of the Census collect period, doorstep completion. Online completion could be progressed via laptops, smart phones, tablets, PCs etc by the individual, a family member, a friend, a neighbour, a member of a community group, a trusted individual, etc.
Other provisions included:
a) A free dedicated helpline that could be used for Help or Support when completing the census.
b) A free dedicated language translation service, promoted to all households, providing language support and interpretation services. The top 5 languages that were requested through this service were Polish (35%), Arabic (30%), Urdu (17%), Romanian (9%) and Mandarin (9%).
c) Guidance available in 16 languages which could be accessed online or requested via the helpline.
d) Online questionnaire completion available in both English and Gaelic.
e) A Telephone Data Capture service was also offered – with over 13,000 responses being completed in this way.
f) Help and support available in number of different formats including BSL videos (available online and via DVD and USB), Easy Read, braille, audio and large print.
g) A text relay service, and British Sign Language users could also use contactSCOTLAND-BSL.org
During the collection phase we sent out over 9 million letters and other correspondence to Scotland’s households to support people to complete the census. This included over:
- 2.7 million initial contact letters
- 1.4 million initial reminders in late March
- 1.1 million second reminders in April
- 679,000 further reminders
- 340,000 paper questionnaires requested by households or individuals
- 115,000 paper questionnaires proactively sent out to help people to complete their census
A multi-faceted public awareness campaign was developed to reach as high a proportion of the adult population across Scotland as possible. This included extensive TV, radio, print and physical advertising, engagement with a range of partner organisations to use their communication channels. This included targeted activity to reach groups of the population identified in research as likely to need more encouragement and support to complete the census. Over 200 organisations, including a range of older people’s organisations, partnered with Scotland’s Census to promote and share census information and the help and support available for completion.
In the latter stages of collection, a number of field events took place to encourage census completion. These events were focused on engaging with young people and students, as well as minority ethnic communities. Locations included faith centres, supermarkets and universities, with field staff available to assist with census completion at each site. Events were covered in local and national media.
A further burst of partnership activity was delivered across the extension period, communicating directly to over 580 contacts at a range of partner organisations including Local Authorities, charities, universities and colleges.
In October 2022 NRS launched a consultation on Scotland’s Census 2022 outputs. Through this exercise we have collected feedback on our planned publications, including how protected characteristics information will be presented. We will use this feedback to finalise our plans prior to publishing census outputs, ensuring that they effectively communicate information on Scotland’s population. The consultation closed in February 2023 and a summary report will be published on the census website.
4.2. ‘Our Services’
“NRS will continue to hold information and archives securely, and use them appropriately and transparently for public benefit. By acting on engagement and feedback, NRS services will remain accessible to everyone, especially as we re-shape services and put additional supports in place where required, through the use of accessible digital technology and inclusive, accessible language. Our archives and information are used to reflect and promote understanding of the experiences and histories of people across Scotland including those with protected characteristics”.
NRS continue to reduce physical barriers to accessing our records – for example, publishing the Scottish Cabinet Records online, which was done for the first time in 2021.
Operations and Customer Services (OCS) is looking at EDI and accessibility requirements for the ScotlandsPeople re-tender. As we return to the office we are focused on the support required for colleagues and customers who may require additional support. We also continue to prioritise digital channel shift in our service delivery as a means of reducing (particularly physical) barriers to accessing our records and services.
OCS’s main development focus over this period has been the publication of the 1921 Census. We will place special emphasis on using this to explore the experiences of groups with protected characteristics and other communities of interest. We will be looking at the experiences of women and immigrant communities in particular and will explore other groups of interest. We continue to look at ways to build EDI into our delivery work.
Building on the work completed in 2019/20, NRS has continued to collaborate with the Scottish Council on Archives (SCA) to develop free resources for community archive and heritage groups, and took part in the Community Archives and Heritage Scotland group conference.
Working with colleagues in Museums Galleries Scotland, we arranged two archivist workshops to support the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s museums Project. This project has been tasked to look at how Scotland’s museums (and heritage sector) could improve the understanding of Scotland’s history in relation to Transatlantic slavery. Although the focus has been primarily on museums, our engagement with MGS over the past year has ensured the archival contribution will form part of the final recommendations. Colleagues from across the Scottish archive sector (universities, national collections, local authorities, private owners and NRS) had the opportunity to identify what role archives and records can play in this work.
NRS staff have given talks at a number of international conferences and events, on subjects ranging from care home records, women in shipbuilding communities, and dealing with difficult heritage. They have been involved in discussions involving the Scottish Human Rights Commission, residential schools and the duty to document. These events reflect the importance of good recordkeeping for accountability and transparency, as well as the inherent value in viewing historical material through a 21st Century lens.
In addition to traditional text based learning and outreach content we have also developed audio visual resources including a virtual introduction to our New Register House building and its history that is available on our YouTube channel.
4.3. ‘Our Culture’
“Our organisation promotes an inclusive and accessible workplace culture in which employees from all backgrounds feel listened to and valued and are empowered to engage with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues. Our strategic plans and priorities reinforce and provide a framework for us to deliver and act on our ambition to embed the consideration of equality across all that we do”.
An NRS EDI Assurance Group has been established, bringing together leadership representatives from different NRS business areas. This group will oversee the delivery of equality mainstreaming at NRS and ensure that the organisation is able to meet its statutory requirements and duties in this area.
IT Services have formed an Equality Working Group to support and enable the delivery of EDI objectives. Work has also been undertaken to improve the accessibility of NRS digital services. As part of the return to workplaces, IT are exploring opportunities to improve the accessibility of working spaces with the introduction of hearing loop induction.
Delivery Directorate is ensuring that the consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion is mainstreamed throughout the planning and initiation of change, as well as its delivery – i.e. through the change programme or project life-cycle.
Throughout the year, NRS has offered opportunities for staff to engage in introductory British Sign Language (BSL) training.
A procurement strategy will be completed for all procurements with an estimated contract value over £50k. This ensures that, where applicable, the key equalities and diversity issues have been considered and as part of sustainable procurement requirements, it will include consideration of EQIA implications to ensure that the stakeholders creating Business Cases and Statements of Requirements/Specifications for future contracts think about their obligations in relation to equality impacts early in the procurement process.
Where applicable, NRS Procurement will ensure that EQIA implications are sufficiently covered within the ITT documentation, and where relevant and possible, include such requirements within the ITT documentation.
In line with Scottish Procurement Policy and procedures, NRS Procurement continues to follow the best practice guidance that is provided in the Procurement Journey ensuring that we comply with and, where appropriate, promote equalities legislation and policy.
The Sustainable Procurement Duty requires Public Sector Buyers to think about how improvements can be made to the Social, Environmental and Economic Wellbeing of the areas(s) which we operate in with a particular focus on reducing inequality.
Although no longer a member of the European Union, Public procurement legislation has predominantly remained unchanged and is subject to the principles of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Equal treatment and non-discrimination are two of these principles meaning that potential suppliers must be treated equally, and they must not be discriminated against regardless of where they are from.
NRS Procurement controls the publication of the NRS annual Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement which outline the steps taken to minimise the potential risk of modern slavery in its business and supply chains.
The NRS Delivery Director is the current NRS Equality Champion and acts as a Director champion for promoting and progressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work across NRS.
5. Our Staff, Recruitment and Employment
In response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to adapt both the ways in which we operate and in how we deliver our services. Prior to the pandemic, most of NRS’s services were physically 'delivered' or enabled from our various buildings. With the onset of COVID-19 almost all on-site delivery of services was forced to stop. In response, we developed a robust Service Restart process to plan and manage the safe restarting and return of NRS services.
With the removal of the work from home requirements at the end of January 2022, the Scottish Government encouraged employers to consider the implementation of hybrid approaches to working, where this was appropriate and where it could be done safely. In response, NRS has developed opportunities to support a range of working arrangements. These new ways of working are facilitating transformational improvements across NRS, including increasing business resilience, enhancing employee wellbeing, and in making NRS a more attractive place to work.
Under the current Flexible Working Policy, staff have the right to apply to work flexibly, either formally or informally. Formal flexible working could be part-time hours, working from home or term-time working. Informal arrangements could be alternative working patterns, including working compressed hours. As at [31 March 2021, 20%] of staff had a part-time formal working contract.
5.1. Recruitment
All NRS staff have Scottish Government (SG) Main terms and conditions. NRS is committed to building a more inclusive and diverse workforce. We recruit permanent staff in line with SG equal opportunity policy and the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. We do not regard sex, marital status, age, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, working patterns, employment status, gender identity (transgender), caring responsibility or trade union membership as a bar to employment, training or advancement. We recruit staff solely on their ability to do the job.
We are part of the wider SG commitment to the Disability Confident Employer Scheme and guarantee interviews to all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a post. We're fully committed to ensuring all colleagues can perform to their best in the selection process by offering adjustments for both interview and assessments.
We provide a range of employment opportunities, which include:
- Modern Apprenticeships – This is a year-long mentoring and development programme where Apprentices work alongside experienced staff, building up knowledge, skills and responsibility, whilst gaining a qualification. Since 2019, a total of 6 staff have successfully completed their Apprenticeships and were retained as permanent employees.
- IT Student Placements – NRS works in partnership with Napier University to provide paid 42-week student placements to help inform and develop students’ career horizons and help with their employability. A total of 4 places have been provided since 2019.
- Work Experience – We work with Midlothian Council to provide Secondary School pupils with a week’s work experience to help them experience life in the workplace through direct observation and hands-on experience. We offer up to 10 places each year. These placements are usually in May and June of the school curriculum.
- Volunteers – Our volunteers undertake agreed activities on behalf our organisation without expectation of financial remuneration or a contract of employment. Volunteers add value, support and diversity to the work of NRS. Voluntary placements provide learning and wellbeing opportunities and promote our work through engagement with the wider community. NRS currently has 3 volunteers.
- Statistical & Analytical Role Opportunities - NRS works closely with Scottish Government Analytics Services Team and provides regular opportunities for existing and new staff to work on a variety of key statistical roles within the public sector. This provides excellent opportunities to work on key projects (such as Scotland’s Census, Birth, Deaths & Marriages, Data Linkage to name a few) which provides national statistics to a wide range of stakeholders.
5.2. Public Appointment
Historically, women have been under-represented in public and corporate leadership. The Scottish Government has encouraged public, private and third sector organisations to sign up to the Partnership for Change and to set a voluntary commitment for gender balance on their boards of 50/50 by 2020. NRS exceeded this target, and as at December 2022 had 3 (60%) female and 2 (40%) male Non-Executive Directors.
5.3. Our Staff
As at December 2022, we employed 463 members of staff. Only the Chief Executive is a member of the Senior Civil Service.
5.4. Protected characteristics
SG collects and publishes information about the diversity composition of the NRS workforce: Diversity and inclusion of the Scottish Government workforce - 2022.
SG reports the following information about our workforce by protected characteristic for the years 2017 to 2022 (further details are provided in Appendix 1):
Composition by age:
Composition by ethnicity:
Composition by sexual orientation:
The term “LGB+” is used above to identify individuals declaring a sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, bisexual or any other sexual orientation not including straight / heterosexual.
Composition by disability status:
5.5. Equal Pay Statement and Pay Gap Information
Our staff are SG employees. NRS Pay Gap Information is therefore included as part of SG Pay Gap Information and reporting. This reporting is included in SG’s Diversity and inclusion of the Scottish Government workforce - 2022.
Our Equal Pay Statement also reflects that of SG, which can be found in the SG Mainstreaming Report (2021: page 53).
SG has reported the following pay gap information for the protected characteristics of Gender, Ethnicity and Disability for 2020, 2021 and 2022 (further details are provided in Appendix 1):
Gender:
5.6. Living Wage
NRS is accredited by the Poverty Alliance as a Scottish Living Wage employer. This officially recognises our on-going commitment to paying our staff, and our contracted staff, at least the Scottish Living Wage.
5.7. Employee Engagement
Each year all NRS staff (temporary, contracted and permanent) are encouraged to complete the annual civil service-wide People Survey, a survey of employees’ attitudes and experiences working in NRS. A total of 62% of staff participated in the 2022 Survey.
A key element of the People Survey is the ‘Employee Engagement Index’. This is based on evidence of a link between highly-engaged staff, high levels of health and wellbeing, and organisational performance. Employee engagement is measured by nine themes (drivers of engagement):
- my work;
- organisational objectives and purpose;
- my manager;
- my team;
- learning and development;
- inclusion and fair treatment;
- resources and workload;
- pay and benefits; and
- leadership and change.
Analysis of our 2022 results detailed that our Employee Engagement Index score was 58%, a drop of 3% from the previous year, although 2% higher than our 2019 score of 56%.
5.8. Staff Engagement & Partnership
Our NRS Staff Engagement Network (SEN) was launched in April 2019 with the goal to increase staff engagement within our organisation and enable staff driven change and improvement. During the pandemic SEN did not meet, although we now will reenergise efforts to connect people. The network aim is to find out what makes a difference for staff, to share ideas and create an engaged and enthused organisation. Everybody is welcome to join the network and contribute.
All NRS staff can also access SG staff networks, including; LGBTI+, race equality and disability networks.
We also work closely with Trade Unions and NRS senior managers meet with partnership colleagues on a quarterly basis to discuss a range of topics of interest.
5.9. Staff Wellbeing
Currently NRS has 10 Mental Health First Aiders who are on hand to provide direct support to staff and managers and can also signpost to relevant resources. Many of the resources and sources of support are provided through SG and include confidential counselling and wellbeing services, and a confidential employee assistance service. The Charity of Civil Servants also provides a wellbeing hub with resources for dealing with anxiety, stress and building resilience.
6. NRS Fully Refreshed Equality Outcomes 2023-25
NRS published short term Equality Outcomes in its Equality Mainstreaming Duty Report 2021, covering the period between 2022 / 2023.
Following discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it was agreed that NRS would undertake a full refresh of its organisational Equality Outcomes cover the period 2023-2025. This work is detailed in Section 3.2 of this report.
Equality outcomes are results NRS want to achieve that lead to meaningful change for people who face discrimination and disadvantage. They are be based on evidence about and from people with protected characteristics, and move the organisation beyond business as usual in their areas of focus. NRS’s fully refreshed Equality Outcomes are:
6.1. OUR SERVICE
For the purpose of this work we take ‘our services’ to be: the places and processes, on- and off-line, that people use to input, access and use the information we make available, as well as how we communicate with and inform our customers, users and stakeholders about this information and support and promote its use.
|
Outcomes
|
|
We understand more about the needs and views of our customers and service users with protected characteristics.
This learning influences our work to widen our audiences and the inclusivity of our services.
|
|
Rationale
|
|
Current evidence about the needs and views of certain groups of people with protected characteristics as customers of and audiences for some NRS services is limited.
The majority of responses to NRS’ first large-scale customer survey, undertaken in 2019, were from users (mainly individuals) of platforms and services associated with Scotland’s People, with 55% of participants (of a final sample of 800) based in Scotland. Sixty-four percent of respondents were over the age of 55, and around a third (33%) were over 65.
A clear recommendation arising from this survey was that further, dedicated research should be undertaken to consider the specific needs of under-represented client groups not covered by the survey as a prerequisite to increasing the reach of and audiences for our services. This should include people with protected characteristics and other communities of interest where possible.
Participant recruitment for audience research undertaken in 2021 to develop the NRS audience persona framework was more varied by design both in terms of participant background and services accessed. Forty-eight user interviews were conducted, and there was broader representation of different age groups across the interviewees, as well as further voluntary data collected on participants’ gender, education levels and employment status.
This research did not include a focus on understanding how membership of protected characteristic groups affects or might affect audience engagement with and use of NRS services. No further voluntary diversity data was collected and inclusivity of services in this respect was not covered.
We are able to draw on data about the protected characteristics of the Scottish population generally from the outputs of Census 2011 (and will be able to do this with Census 2022 outputs once published), other national surveys and more recent population estimates. Insights on the needs and views of members of different protected characteristic groups is also available from existing research, reports and publications (including EQIAs undertaken for Census 2022). However, this evidence is not always specific enough to provide relevant insight for a number of important services and areas of NRS work.
This indicates that a fully refreshed equality outcome under the heading of ‘our services’ should aim at improving our understanding of the needs and views of our customers, service users and other stakeholders in respect of equalities characteristics for more of our services.
Increased understanding of the equality and diversity needs of our customers and service users will contribute to ongoing work to widen our audiences, including through outreach and learning activities, and deliver inclusive services.
|
|
Relevance to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
|
|
This outcome is relevant to all three aims of the PSED.
It will help us take actions based on evidence to continue eliminating discrimination in how people access our services. It will also ensure we continue to be aware of potential barriers to access that we may not previously had information about.
It will help promote equal opportunity between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not in accessing and using our services. Where this understanding also influences work to widen our audiences it will help promote equal opportunity as well.
This outcome will also help foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not. Working to widen our audiences through an understanding of our customers and their needs in respect of equalities considerations will help promote understanding about different communities of interest and protected characteristic groups in Scotland and their histories.
|
|
Relevance to Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Ethos and Our Values
|
|
Our vision is to preserve the past, record the present and inform the future, and our mission is to increase our reach and impact and be recognised as a trusted, expert and professional organisation.
This outcome will support the achievement of our vision and mission whilst allowing us to remain true to our ethos, which is to put people at the heart of what we do and deliver in accordance with our values of being professional, respectful, accountable, and customer focused.
|
|
Indicative actions
|
- Undertake scoping work to establish how best to include people with protected characteristics in refreshed work with user groups ensuring our places (e.g. buildings, search rooms) and on- and off-line processes (e.g. registrations) are responsive to user need.
- Include a question focused on equalities considerations in the NRS annual customer survey.
- Ensure information and communications about our learning and outreach work reaches more diverse audiences, with a commitment to continue participating in; Women’s History Month, Black History Month and LGBTQ+ History Month, when we can highlight relevant items in our collections.
- Launch an assisted digital support service for Scotland’s 2022 Census, offering alternative routes for users to access census data.
|
|
Indicative KPIs
|
- For the 2022 Census, we will monitor user feedback on our website, and track requests for the assisted digital support service.
- Increased percentage of surveys to include equalities considerations questions (to improve understanding of the needs and views of our customers, service users and other stakeholders). Benchmark may need to be established.
|
6.2. OUR PURPOSE
For the purpose of this work we take ‘our purpose’ to be: to collect, preserve and produce information about the people of Scotland. This category includes how we do this, including how we work with partners and stakeholders to achieve this purpose and support others in the same.
|
Outcome
|
- We better understand the needs and views of people with protected characteristics as stakeholders in our work to collect, preserve and make available information about the people of Scotland.
- People understand more about people with protected characteristics in Scotland from our work to improve statistical data collection and analysis, including our work with partners for this purpose.
|
|
Rationale
|
|
The key concern in developing a refreshed outcome under the heading of ‘our purpose’ was to identify, through the use of evidence, a result that would move NRS beyond business as usual in its ambitions for embedding equality in this area.
National Records of Scotland is currently undertaking significant work aimed at improving data about people with protected characteristics in Scotland, the Equality Data Improvement Programme. We have also collaborated with the Scottish Government in developing their newly published Equality Evidence Strategy 2023-35. This work, including but not limited to the successful work undertaken for Census 2022, reflects and reinforces the Scottish Government’s ambitions for improving equalities data. 2022 Census Outputs will include significant new information on the protected characteristics of Scotland’s population. It also reflects Equality Outcomes NRS has fulfilled and will continue to fulfil focused on ensuring that people are better informed about groups with protected characteristics in Scotland as a result of our work gathering, managing and publishing statistical data.
NRS is able to monitor online engagement with much of our statistical data, and, importantly, to ascertain its impact in terms of its use for policy making and for informing the public, especially by the Scottish Government. There is less detailed evidence available to NRS, however, about the access and use of these data – as well as other of our information such as archival and other records – by people with protected characteristics and/or the groups that represent them.
Similarly, less evidence is available about the needs and views of these groups in terms of the collection, preservation and presentation of information about them. Extensive community engagement work was undertaken to ensure the effective roll out of Census 2022, and work ensuring that Census 2022 outputs are useful and useable by data users and communities of interest is ongoing. The results of this engagement, however, specific as they are to the Census and statistical products, will not necessarily be able to inform other areas of NRS business, particularly that associated with archival collections, preservation and presentation. It is essential that NRS understands the interests and needs of the diverse communities who produce and use archival records, ensuring Scotland’s national archive represents all the peoples of Scotland.
Analysis of the evidence therefore indicates that an equality outcome aimed at progressing work on how we engage with communities of interest and people with protected characteristics as stakeholders across our work to collect, preserve and produce information would be beneficial, particularly where learning from Census 2022 is able to be used by other relevant areas of business in NRS.
The rationale for this draft outcome is further strengthened by the positive outcome of NRS’ recent archive re-accreditation process, where assessors were particularly supportive and encouraging of NRS’ plans in this area.
|
|
Relevance to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
|
|
This outcome is relevant to all three aims of the PSED.
Engaging with communities of interest and people with protected characteristics to understand their needs as stakeholders will help us continue to eliminate discrimination, including indirect discrimination, in how we collect and present our information. It will also help NRS to support others to do the same, given our role as a leader within the archive and statistical professions.
This outcome will also help NRS ensure that people have equal opportunity, where possible, to find out about and use the information we collect and produce about them. This includes information about and relevant to communities of interest and people with protected characteristics.
This outcome should also foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. This will be particularly true where engagement includes working with communities of interest and / or people with protected characteristics to support the collection and preservation of information about these groups, by these groups.
|
|
Relevance to Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Ethos and Our Values
|
|
Our vision is to preserve the past, record the present and inform the future, and our mission is to increase our reach and impact and be recognised as a trusted, expert and professional organisation.
This outcome will support the achievement of these whilst allowing us to remain true to our ethos, which is to put people at the heart of what we do and deliver in accordance with our values of being professional, respectful, accountable, and customer focused.
|
|
Indicative actions
|
- Build on learning from undertaking community engagement for the Census 2022 and transfer to other relevant areas of our business, maintaining existing relationships with community stakeholders where possible.
- Consider and pilot arrangements at NRS for seeking sustained input from key community stakeholders into our work collecting, safeguarding and making available information about the people of Scotland.
- Implement relevant recommendations from the Archives EDI Project, for example making the experience of accessing our online catalogue more inclusive and undertaking a gap analysis of our archives, working with partners where appropriate to ensure learning from best practice.
- Continue work to make our statistical publications easily understood and useful for communities of interest, establishing user need through engagement where possible.
- We will publish 2022 Census outputs which will include detailed information on the protected characteristics of the population of Scotland.
|
|
Indicative KPIs
|
- Tables to be published and accessed on the 2022 Census website, including through the flexible table builder. Web metrics for these, and user feedback to be produced.
- Evidence of engagement with community stakeholders for census data linkage projects to be captured.
- Measure work on ease of understanding and accessibility of statistical publications through: word count and reading age, usability testing sessions, accessibility of outputs.
- Progress against our Equality Data Improvement Programme commitments (i.e. new protected characteristics information published).
- Number of engagements each year with communities of interest and people with protected characteristics.
|
6.3. OUR CULTURE
For the purpose of this work we take ‘our culture’ to be the ways in which our internal policies, processes and services shape the experience of working at NRS. This includes the diversity of our workforce, and how inclusive practice is supported and promoted day-to-day within our teams and beyond, by staff at all levels.
|
Outcomes
|
- We increase our knowledge of the diversity of our workforce and seek staff input to mainstream equality and implement learning from engagement.
- Our staff better understand and value diversity, taking evidence based action to promote inclusive practice as part of their work.
- Our people managers grow in confidence in recognising and supporting the needs of staff with diverse experiences as part of their role.
|
|
Rationale
|
|
Over the 2022-23 financial year, NRS engaged with staff to fully refresh our organisational Equality Outcomes. Staff input was sought in particular for a fully refreshed outcome focused on NRS’ role as employer and our organisational culture (‘Our Culture’).
There were two opportunities for staff to get involved. The first was a short, anonymous and voluntary staff questionnaire that aimed to benchmark staff understanding of and views on inclusion at NRS. The second were online staff engagement sessions providing the opportunity to explore key themes emerging from the questionnaire further. These staff engagement sessions were also intended to identify priority areas of focus for a new ‘Our Culture’ outcome.
In total, 166 NRS staff (approximately 37%) participated in the staff questionnaire. Thirty-three members of staff participated across four staff engagement sessions held during October 2022. The data collected through these activities, both qualitative and quantitative, were analysed and set out in an internal report for consideration by the NRS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Assurance Group and the Executive Management Board. In setting a fully refreshed equality outcome for ‘Our Culture’, data gathered through staff engagement were considered alongside existing data about the diversity of the NRS workforce, and NRS People Survey results.
Consideration of these data indicate three main areas where NRS could usefully focus a fully refreshed equality outcome for ‘Our Culture’. The first is improving the organisations’ understanding of the diversity of our workforce, both in terms of makeup and in terms of how diverse experiences and membership of protected characteristic groups shape employee experience. The second is improving understanding of diversity and the experiences of particular protected characteristic groups among staff, prompting staff to take evidence-based action to improve inclusive practice at NRS. The third is about better supporting our people managers to recognise and support the needs of staff with protected characteristics, where appropriate.
A fully refreshed equality outcome underneath the theme of ‘Our Culture’ has been developed aimed at achieving meaningful results in these three areas. Because NRS has particularly low declaration and / or workforce rates for the protected characteristics of disability, ethnic minority background, religion and LGBT+, data also indicate that these characteristics should be considered a priority for action.
|
|
Relevance to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
|
|
This equality outcome is relevant to all three aims of the PSED. Improving our knowledge about the diversity of our workforce and seeking input from staff in respect of their lived experiences will help ensure that we continue to identify and eliminate potential discrimination in how we work. Improving staff understanding about diversity and encouraging evidence-based action from staff to support the growth of an inclusive culture at NRS will similarly support this need.
This equality outcome should also help promote equal opportunity, as it will lead to an increased understanding among all staff, including people managers, of the barriers that people with protected characteristics face in the workplace and encourage evidence-based action to help address these.
This equality outcome has particular relevance to the need to foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not, as it is focused on increasing knowledge and understanding of the experiences of people with protected characteristics among staff and across the organisation and encouraging evidence-based action.
|
|
Relevance to Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Ethos and Our Values
|
|
This equality outcome will help us realise our ethos to put people, including our staff, at the heart of what we do and deliver in accordance with our values. In supporting this, this equality outcome will help us to achieve our vision, because it will ensure that NRS continues to be a great place to work for all our staff.
|
|
Indicative actions (draft)
|
- Undertake scoping work to establish how best to use employee review groups / a new equalities-focused sub-group of the existing Staff Engagement Network for peer-review of and input into relevant NRS initiatives and projects from an EDI perspective.
- In parallel with the above, run a programme of NRS-specific EDI events that includes opportunities to share and learn from people with lived experience, alongside clearer advertising of learning opportunities available elsewhere (e.g. through SG).
- Run an internal communications campaign encouraging staff to share their diversity data through eHR and to improve the use of the mandatory diversity and inclusion objective as part of objective setting and performance monitoring.
- Develop and implement a toolkit of support for people managers that includes elements specifically focused on EDI – e.g. how to have supportive conversations with staff about relevant needs; how to use the ‘employee passport’ to support staff in this respect, etc.
- Undertake a programme of work to bring NRS in line with existing Scottish Government policy and strategy for recruitment and retention of people from specific protected characteristic groups. This includes:
-
-
- improving the inclusivity of our job-adverts, the reach of our vacancies advertising and diversifying pathways to employment from an equalities perspective; and
- undertaking this work in parallel with that to establish our longer-term, strategic “ways of working” offer, to ensure opportunities for flexible working are foregrounded as part of recruitment.
|
|
Indicative KPIs
|
- Increase staff attendance at NRS EDI events (benchmarked against current staff attendance rates at NRS events).
- Hold awareness sessions as part of the implementation of the EQIA Toolkit - measure attendance.
- Job adverts are designed to be more inclusive for people with specific protected characteristic.
|
7. Further Information
Can be obtained from the Strategy and Planning Team, who can be contacted at:
NRS Strategy and Planning Team
HM General Register House
2 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YY
Annex A
NRS’s short-term Equality Outcomes for the period 2022 - 2023
Our Purpose
People are better informed about groups with protected characteristics as a result of our work gathering, managing and publishing statistical data. In the exercise of our statutory functions we understand and are sensitive to the needs of people who share a protected characteristic.
Our Services
NRS will continue to hold information and archives securely, and use them appropriately and transparently for public benefit. By acting on engagement and feedback, NRS services will remain accessible to everyone, especially as we re-shape services and put additional supports in place where required, through the use of digital technology and inclusive, accessible language. Our archives and information are used to reflect and promote understanding of the experiences and histories of people across Scotland including those with protected characteristics
Our Culture
Our organisation promotes an inclusive and accessible workplace culture in which employees from all backgrounds feel listened to and valued and are empowered to engage with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues. Our strategic plans and priorities reinforce and provide a framework for us to deliver and act on our ambition to embed the consideration of equality across all that we do.
Appendix 1
Protected characteristics
Composition by age:
|
|
16-29
|
30-39
|
40-49
|
50-59
|
60+
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
36
|
8.6
|
103
|
24.7
|
104
|
24.9
|
133
|
31.9
|
41
|
9.8
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
38
|
9.0
|
100
|
23.8
|
103
|
24.5
|
134
|
31.9
|
45
|
10.7
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
45
|
10.4
|
98
|
22.6
|
107
|
24.7
|
139
|
32.0
|
45
|
10.4
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
44
|
10.1
|
92
|
21.1
|
106
|
24.4
|
136
|
31.3
|
57
|
13.1
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
43
|
9.3
|
103
|
22.3
|
117
|
25.4
|
138
|
30.0
|
60
|
13.0
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
57
|
12.3
|
100
|
21.6
|
111
|
24.0
|
135
|
29.2
|
60
|
13.0
|
463
|
100
|
Composition by sex:
|
|
Female
|
Male
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
225
|
54.0
|
192
|
46.0
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
232
|
55.2
|
188
|
44.8
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
235
|
54.1
|
199
|
45.9
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
235
|
54.0
|
200
|
46.0
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
252
|
54.7
|
209
|
45.3
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
253
|
54.6
|
210
|
45.4
|
463
|
100
|
Composition by ethnicity:
|
|
Ethnic Minority
|
White
|
Prefer not to say
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
7
|
1.7
|
344
|
82.5
|
8
|
1.9
|
58
|
13.9
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
8
|
1.9
|
345
|
82.1
|
6
|
1.4
|
61
|
14.5
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
8
|
1.8
|
349
|
80.4
|
6
|
1.4
|
71
|
16.4
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
7
|
1.6
|
341
|
78.4
|
7
|
1.6
|
80
|
18.4
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
7
|
1.5
|
341
|
74.0
|
7
|
1.5
|
106
|
23.0
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
6
|
1.3
|
309
|
66.7
|
5
|
1.1
|
143
|
30.9
|
463
|
100
|
Composition by sexual orientation:
|
|
LGB+
|
Heterosexual/ Straight
|
Prefer not to say
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
14
|
3.4
|
174
|
41.7
|
20
|
4.8
|
209
|
50.1
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
14
|
3.3
|
186
|
44.3
|
19
|
4.5
|
201
|
47.9
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
21
|
4.8
|
198
|
45.6
|
16
|
3.7
|
199
|
45.9
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
20
|
4.6
|
196
|
45.1
|
17
|
3.9
|
202
|
46.4
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
23
|
5.0
|
204
|
44.3
|
15
|
3.3
|
219
|
47.5
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
24
|
5.2
|
185
|
40.0
|
13
|
2.8
|
241
|
52.1
|
463
|
100
|
The term “LGB+” is used above to identify individuals declaring a sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, bisexual or any other sexual orientation not including straight / heterosexual.
Composition by disability status:
|
|
Disabled
|
Not disabled
|
Prefer not to say
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
42
|
10.1
|
213
|
51.1
|
2
|
0.5
|
160
|
38.4
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
42
|
10.0
|
206
|
49.1
|
3
|
0.7
|
169
|
40.2
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
47
|
10.8
|
208
|
47.9
|
6
|
1.4
|
173
|
39.9
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
43
|
9.9
|
206
|
47.4
|
6
|
1.4
|
180
|
41.4
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
46
|
10.0
|
211
|
45.8
|
6
|
1.3
|
198
|
43.0
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
38
|
8.2
|
195
|
42.1
|
8
|
1.7
|
222
|
47.9
|
463
|
100
|
Composition by religion:
|
|
None
|
Christian
|
Other religion
|
Prefer not to say
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
2017
|
115
|
27.6
|
64
|
15.4
|
13
|
3.1
|
17
|
4.1
|
208
|
49.9
|
417
|
100
|
|
2018
|
127
|
30.2
|
68
|
16.2
|
10
|
2.4
|
14
|
3.3
|
201
|
47.9
|
420
|
100
|
|
2019
|
139
|
32.0
|
74
|
17.1
|
9
|
2.1
|
13
|
3.0
|
199
|
45.9
|
434
|
100
|
|
2020
|
138
|
31.7
|
73
|
16.8
|
8
|
1.8
|
15
|
3.4
|
201
|
46.2
|
435
|
100
|
|
2021
|
150
|
32.5
|
70
|
15.2
|
9
|
2.0
|
14
|
3.0
|
218
|
47.3
|
461
|
100
|
|
2022
|
137
|
29.6
|
68
|
14.7
|
8
|
1.7
|
10
|
2.2
|
240
|
51.8
|
463
|
100
|
Pay Gap Information
Gender:
|
|
Female
|
Male
|
Pay Gap
|
|
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
|
2020
|
£40,265
|
£35,110
|
£41,561
|
£36,138
|
3.12%
|
2.84%
|
|
2021
|
£40,397
|
£36,129
|
£41,492
|
£36,129
|
2.64%
|
0%
|
|
2022
|
£41,360
|
£35,541
|
£42,681
|
£37,936
|
3.09%
|
6.31%
|
Ethnicity:
|
|
Ethnic Minority
|
White
|
Pay Gap
|
|
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
|
2020
|
£38,335
|
£34,652
|
£41,793
|
£37,367
|
8.27%
|
7.27%
|
|
2021
|
£38,361
|
£34,600
|
£42,199
|
£36,129
|
9.10%
|
4.23%
|
|
2022
|
£39,897
|
£35,944
|
£44,223
|
£37,936
|
9.78%
|
5.25%
|
Disability:
|
|
Disabled
|
Not Disabled
|
Pay Gap
|
|
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
Mean
|
Median
|
|
2020
|
£37,946
|
£33,266
|
£42,364
|
£38,541
|
10.43%
|
13.69%
|
|
2021
|
£38,660
|
£34,600
|
£42,384
|
£36,129
|
8.79%
|
4.23%
|
|
2022
|
£40,222
|
£34,725
|
£44,422
|
£37,936
|
9.45%
|
8.46%
|
