Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research published by Ageing Better as part of their Who is at risk of missing out? project in relation to the inequalities between older BAME and white communities.

This Government is committed to tackle prejudice, racism and discrimination - and to improve the quality of data and evidence about the types of barriers faced by people from different backgrounds to help drive effective and lasting change. That is why we have established a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. This cross-government commission will examine all aspects of continuing racial and ethnic inequalities in Britain.

In addition, following the publication of the report ‘COVID 19: Review of disparities in risks and outcomes’, Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch was asked by the Prime Minister to act on its findings. As part of this the Cabinet Office’s Race Disparity Unit is working closely with academics, scientists and analysts, to establish emerging data patterns and trends in regards to the impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities.

Factors that are being considered include age and sex, occupation, obesity, comorbidities, geography, and ethnicity.