Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that executive agencies collect data on funding allocated to people who have protected characteristics as listed in the Equality Act 2010.

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a key lever for ensuring that public bodies, including executive agencies, already consider the potential impact of their decisions, including decisions about funding allocation, on people who share different protected characteristics.

The PSED requires public bodies, and those carrying out public functions, to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010;

• advance equality of opportunity, and;

• foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

Public bodies must be able to show how equality issues have been considered when they develop, implement, evaluate and review policies, services and processes.