Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that “data suggests a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic and minority groups” from COVID-19; and whether the CDC study has direct implications for the control of the virus in the UK.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Science of Covid-19 note for House of Lords, which is attached due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies Are some ethnic groups more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others?, published on 1 May; and what comparison they have made of the findings of that report and their own analysis of COVID-19 and the incidence and impact of that virus within BAME communities.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) led a review to better understand how different factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, age, sex (male and female) and obesity can impact on how people are affected by COVID-19. PHE’s report Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 was published on 2 June 2020 and is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of the measurement of the differential incidence of COVID-19 within BAME communities.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England led a rapid review to better understand how different factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, age, sex (male and female) and obesity can impact on how people are affected by COVID-19.
The review found that people from Black ethnic groups were most likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Also, death rates from COVID-19 were highest among people of Black and Asian ethnic groups.
These findings did not account for the effect of occupation or comorbidities. These are important factors because they are associated with the risk of acquiring COVID-19, the risk of dying, or both.
A copy of Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with governments of other countries about the differential impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities; and what lessons they have learned from any such discussions.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries on a wide range of issues of issues relating to COVID-19. COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with other countries throughout the crisis and beyond.
Public Health England is undertaking a programme of stakeholder engagement as part of its review into the impact of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities; this has included the devolved nations. PHE continues to be committed to working with experts in the devolved nations to share learning and identify opportunities for collaboration. PHE is also working with the National Institute for Health Research to undertake an evidence review looking at the factors impacting health outcomes from COVID-19 on BAME communities. The scope of this work will include international evidence.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following reports of the differential impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities, all relevant public authorities in the UK should be gathering data on the ethnic profile of those dying with the condition; and if not, what plans they have to instruct such authorities to do so.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The potential for impact on ethnicity, gender, age, and other vulnerable groups is a cause for significant concern to us. This is why we have asked Public Health England to review COVID-19 outcomes among different groups, including ethnic minority communities, and to explore reasons for the disparities.
The findings of this review will inform what further action we can take to better protect these communities. In the meantime, we have implemented specific measures to reduce the spread of the virus in all communities.
The statistical information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Dear Baroness Lawrence,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether, following reports of the differential impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities, all relevant public authorities in the UK should be gathering data on the ethnic profile of those dying with the condition; and if not, what plans they have to instruct such authorities to do so (HL4512).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing weekly numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent annual figures published are for deaths registered in 2018[1]. However, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations, which are currently published for deaths registered up to 8 May 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). Deaths involving COVID-19, which refers to deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, are identified by the ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2.
The ONS have recently published an article[3] and accompanying datasets[4] on provisional analysis of deaths involving COVID-19 by ethnicity for England and Wales. These analyses are based on a new dataset developed by the ONS that links 2011 Census records to deaths that occurred between 2 March and 10 April 2020 registered by death registrations up to 17 April 2020, with deaths being added on a weekly basis. These analyses will be updated and extended in June 2020.
Collecting information on the ethnic profile of individuals dying with COVID-19 presents practical and methodological challenges. This is because ethnicity is a self-identification measure reflecting how individuals define themselves, and guidance on the collection of ethnic group data in the UK states that responses on ethnicity should be answered by the individual directly, particularly if they are an adult[5].
Ethnicity is not recorded on the death certificate. To enable us to undertake our specific analysis at the ONS, deaths involving COVID-19 were linked to the 2011 Census, which allowed us to ascertain the self-reported ethnicity of the deceased and other demographic factors.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter sent by Sir Simon Stephens to all NHS Trusts on 29 April which stated "on a precautionary basis we recommend employers should risk-assess staff at potentially greater risk and make appropriate arrangements accordingly"; and what action NHS Trusts should take in response.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Proper risk assessment is key to ensuring the protection and wellbeing of our staff. NHS Employers, working in partnership with key stakeholders, published guidance for employers on 30 April on how to carry out risk assessments particularly for vulnerable groups, to understand the specific risks staff members face from exposure to COVID-19 and actions which employers can take to keep staff safe. NHS Employers will be keeping its guidance to employers under review to reflect any feedback or additional evidence coming to light and signpost to key national guidance where available.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with trade unions about identifying staff at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 and re-assigning the duties of such staff.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We recognise that some workers will be anxious about returning to work and understand that all employees should feel safe.
The Government has stated that vulnerable people who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) need to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. Members of staff who are vulnerable or extremely vulnerable, as well as individuals whom they live with, should be supported by their employers as they follow the required social distancing and shielding measures.
It’s critical that employers offer safe workplaces. The Government has published new guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
This guidance has been developed by the Department for Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions, industry bodies and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Our continued engagement with the trade unions provides a useful insight into the information and best practice that might support us in ensuring that businesses can reopen whilst adhering to the social distancing guidelines.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a higher proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic people are dying as a result of COVID-19 than people of other ethnicities; whether they have now established an inquiry into the issue; and if so, what that inquiry has discovered to date.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are very concerned by the apparent disproportionate number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds who have died, both within the National Health Service and overall. We have asked Public Health England (PHE) to complete a rapid review to understand how COVID-19 may be having an impact on different ethnic groups, and other groups of concern. PHE has begun linking thousands of existing health records for people who have had COVID-19 in order to gather more robust data.
To complement this rapid review by Public Health England, the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation issued a joint call on 22 April for research proposals to investigate emerging evidence of an association between ethnicity and COVID-19 incidence and adverse health outcomes.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government when they intend to bring forward proposals for a consultation on social care.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support.
We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.
The Government is committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last met the Victims’ Commissioner to discuss the historical, financial and legal problems that victims of crime and their families continue to face.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
The role of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses is defined in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. It is to promote the interests of victims and witnesses, encourage good practice in their treatment, and regularly review the operation of the Code of Practice for Victims. The Ministry of Justice Ministerial team hold regular meetings with the Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, which cover a wide range of topics within this remit.
The Victims’ Commissioner met the Secretary of State for Justice on 12 December 2016 and again on 17 January 2017 and also met with Dr Phillip Lee on 6 February 2017.