Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish an Equality Impact Assessment of the Government’s plans for easing the covid-19 lockdown.

The government has assessed the equalities impacts of the social distancing policy on different groups of people, including those with protected characteristics and has engaged individuals, expert groups, charities and other organisations in the policy development process. This is a key part of the decision making process and the government has discharged its obligations under the Equality Act at each stage of its COVID-19 response.

We are aware of the disproportionate impacts of the policy on some groups. For example, we acknowledge that the order to stay at home can cause anxiety for those who are experiencing or feel at risk of domestic abuse and we’ve seen a rise in calls to the national abuse helpline. That is why the Home Secretary introduced a package of measures to support such victims, including an additional £2m of funding for domestic abuse helplines and online services as well as the ‘#YouAreNotAlone’ communications campaign to reassure victims that support services remain available.

The Government has also recognised that some individuals with learning disabilities or autism have specific exercise requirements that are important to their health and has clarified that such groups are allowed to continue to exercise outdoors more than once a day. It is recognised that the policy will continue to have a disproportionate impact on many disabled individuals.

There is evidence of a disproportionate impact on many other sectors of society. The Government is keeping this under review and will introduce mitigation measures wherever possible and appropriate. However, the overall assessment concluded that the measures the Government has taken have been proportionate to the risks of the coronavirus outbreak.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, the Government does not routinely publish equality impact assessments.