Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice he is giving to other Departments on ways to reduce the increased risk covid-19 poses to black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities.

The Government has implemented specific measures, guided by medical and scientific expertise, to reduce the spread of the virus in all communities. For example, Public Health England has been working with the Government Equalities Office in order to help departments take a consistent approach to risk mitigation and guidance, including for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities where relevant, and support engagement with sector representatives on key issues that arise during the pandemic.

We are concerned that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on people from BAME backgrounds, which is why the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) has been tasked to lead the Government's work tackling this issue. With the support of the Race Disparity Unit, the Minister is also reviewing the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by relevant Government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19.