Asians lose out in quango appointments

The majority of government departments are failing to give a fair number of jobs on powerful public bodies to Asian applicants, a survey published today claims.

According to the Guardian, which saw the report, 11 in 18 departments fail to appoint Asians in proportion to their numbers in the UK. The paper reported that a foreword in the report written by the prime minister admits "there is still much to do".

The survey, compiled by Labour MP Keith Vaz and trade union Unison, shows that the Northern Ireland Office had the worst record, with just four Asians in the 1,002 quango posts available. At the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, only five of the 788 posts went to Asian candidates.

The survey looks at quango appointments made since May 2004.