Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

In the Government’s response to David Lammy’s review of the treatment of BAME people in the Criminal Justice System, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) committed to publishing more and better data on ethnicity. As a standard, we seek to use 2011 census classifications in MoJ datasets, though in some instances, due to the numbers involved, it is often necessary to publish at the 5+1 level or binary white/BAME level.

The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. My department has provided available data on Irish Traveller and Gypsy/Roma groups to the Audit in relation to the criminal justice system.