Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by Public Health England on 2 June 2020 entitled Disparities in the risk and outcomes of covid-19, what steps he is taking to increase protections for BAME communities against covid-19.

The Minister for Equalities is working with the Race Disparity Unit and the Department for Health and Social Care to carry forward work to better understand the key drivers of the disparities outlined in the Public Health England report and the relationship between the risk factors. The terms of reference for this work were announced by the Minister on 4 June.

The terms of reference for this work can be accessed from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-work-on-covid-19-disparities-announced