Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Institute for Public Policy Research’s findings, published on 24 September, that people from BAME backgrounds are (1) twice as likely as the wider population to expect to face financial difficulty in the next quarter, and (2) more than twice as likely to have lost their jobs or access to paid work during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they are taking to address this discrepancy.

This Government is committed to levelling up opportunities for everyone, we have already taken action to set up the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which will review inequality across the UK. The Commission will set out a new, positive agenda for change, balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all. This is in addition to the work we are taking forward on the findings of the Public Health England review into disparities in the risks and outcomes of COVID-19, published on 2 June.

Throughout these unprecedented times the Government has provided a crucial safety net to record levels of claimants, ensuring all our customers receive the support they need, when they need it. We know some people might require additional help to get back into work so we have launched our Plan for Jobs, including the Kickstart scheme, the expanded youth offer, the Job Entry Targeted Support and the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes to offer new support to those who lose their job as a result of COVID-19, investing £90 million towards activities that address disparities in youth unemployment – with a focus on the data from the Government’s Race Disparity Audit - and more. The Government is working to ensure that ethnic minority customers have the opportunity to benefit from this extensive package.