Olympic Delivery Authority will monitor how many black and Asian staff are employed by contractors working on Olympic site

The Olympic Delivery Authority could give extra money to contractors that increase their number of black and Asian employees.

The ODA will monitor how many black and Asian staff are employed by each firm working on the Olympic sites and companies that employ a set quota of ethnic minority staff will receive a bonus for meeting targets.

The ODA said it was currently working with a team of consultants to look at how it promotes equality and diversity across its whole operation.

The news comes after reports yesterday revealed that companies competing for the government’s £100 billion/year public sector spending could be questioned about the number of ethnic minority staff they have working for them. This would include companies bidding for the £3.14bn Olympic budget.

Businesses will be asked to provide information on the number black and ethnic minority staff they employ, which will then be compared with the proportion of ethnic minorities living in the vicinity of the company’s office.

An ODA today said: "As part of the tender process the ODA is asking companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, equality and diversity."