You asked

I am making a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be supplied with the following information:

  1. The first date in which ONS became a member of Stonewall UK Diversity Champions Programme and confirm if you are still a member.

  2. The amount of membership fees paid to Stonewall UK since joining their Diversity program.

  3. Benefits received by ONS from this Membership.

We said

Thank you for your request. Please see the following answers to your questions.

  1. ONS has held an annual membership with Stonewall since at least 2006. As financial transactions are only available from April 2006 onwards (because transactions prior to this date were recorded on a financial system which is no longer accessible), we cannot confirm whether this membership was in place prior to that.

  2. Since April 2006 we have paid an annual membership fee to Stonewall. These payments come to a total of £33,975.

  3. The benefits of membership include:

  1. Support to enter the Workplace Equality Index and Global Workplace Equality Index, providing tailored email and phone support and advice through a dedicated account manager. This enables us to benchmark and understand how effective our practices are with regard to inclusion and diversity.

  2. Use of the Diversity Champion logo on promotional materials and being listed on the Stonewall Proud Employers site. This supports the attraction and recruitment of talent to the ONS.

  3. Access to a series of seminars and webinars, discounted rates to workplace conferences and facilitated introductions to other employers. These activities support us in identifying and implementing best practice.

  4. Access to resources around LGBTO inclusion, policy reviews by the Stonewall team and receiving discounted rates to the Stonewall Empowerment programme.

Further information about Stonewall is available on their website.