Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of Lord Austin's leadership of the independent review launched into civil unrest in Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This government is committed to protecting all communities and will not tolerate attempts to foster division or violence among them.
Lord Austin was asked to deliver an independent, in-depth analysis of both Leicester-specific issues and wider factors which may have contributed to or exacerbated the recent tensions. The Review will seek to understand the origins of the unrest and how we can reduce the chances of similar events in the future.
Lord Austin has a long history of working against racism, prejudice and extremism and in trying to bring people together and build stronger and more united communities. His appointment is as chair of a panel of independent reviewers, consisting of a mixture of experts with experience in community engagement, social cohesion and counter extremism. I am confident this work will result in a rigorous, impartial, data-based assessment of the issues, which places significant importance on representing all sides throughout.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons he appointed Lord Austin to be the Chair of the independent review launched into civil unrest in Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This government is committed to protecting all communities and will not tolerate attempts to foster division or violence among them.
Lord Austin was asked to deliver an independent, in-depth analysis of both Leicester-specific issues and wider factors which may have contributed to or exacerbated the recent tensions. The Review will seek to understand the origins of the unrest and how we can reduce the chances of similar events in the future.
Lord Austin has a long history of working against racism, prejudice and extremism and in trying to bring people together and build stronger and more united communities. His appointment is as chair of a panel of independent reviewers, consisting of a mixture of experts with experience in community engagement, social cohesion and counter extremism. I am confident this work will result in a rigorous, impartial, data-based assessment of the issues, which places significant importance on representing all sides throughout.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increase in the number of immigration staff that are being investigated and suspended as a result of violence and racism towards the detainees.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
We expect all staff working in the immigration detention estate to behave in a professional and respectful manner. Where custodial staff are found not to have met the standards of behaviour and professionalism required they may face disciplinary action from their employer and may have their certification to work as a detainee custody officer reviewed by the Home Office.
We operate a comprehensive complaints process for detained individuals including complaints submitted on their behalf by third parties. As set out in published guidance, DSO - 03-2015 Handling complaints (publishing.service.gov.uk), complaints involving any allegation of misconduct are referred to the Home Office Professional Standard Unit and all allegations of a criminal nature must be reported to the police as soon as the allegation is made.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion her Department has had with Sport England on racism and discrimination in cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place for racism, discrimination, bullying or harassment in sport or society. The government will review the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, and we welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues, which must be addressed fully.
The Government works closely with the sector, particularly its arm’s length bodies Sport England and UK Sport, and national governing bodies of sport, to tackle racism and discrimination. As a funding partner, Sport England will continue to work with the ECB to ensure that progress is made in tackling discrimination and increasing diversity in cricket.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) inequalities in health, and (2) any increase in structural racism, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they are taking in response.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The gap in the number of years different groups of people live in good health is stark and unacceptable. Health disparities exist across a variety of conditions and contribute to variations in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
In July 2020, the then Prime Minister appointed the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities to consider the causes of persistent disparities and barriers that different ethnic minority groups face, including the role of racism. The Commission published its report in March 2021, and the Government's response, ‘Inclusive Britain’, was published in March 2022.
In June 2020, Public Health England published the ‘COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes’ report, outlining the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities. In response, the then Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asked the Minister for Equalities, with support from the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit (RDU), to lead cross-government work to look at why COVID-19 was having a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups and to consider how the government response to this could be improved. The ‘Final report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities’ was published in December 2021.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities was established in October 2021 to work across the Department, the rest of Government, the healthcare system, local Government and industry to be creative about how we shift our focus towards preventing ill health, in particular in the places and communities where there are the most significant disparities.
In the white paper ‘Levelling Up the United Kingdom’, published in February 2022, the government set out a levelling up health mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030, and increase HLE by five years by 2035. A range of action is being taken forward which will support progress on the health mission, including the development of a Major Conditions Strategy on which an interim report will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make reporting on ethnicity pay gaps mandatory for the purposes of tackling racism.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This government remains committed to tackling all areas of disparities in this country, including in employment. It is crucial that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential and we want to ensure that everyone has access to the same employment opportunities.
Ethnicity pay gap reporting is just one type of tool to assist employers in doing this and it may not always be the most appropriate mechanism for some types of organisations. Therefore, as set out in the “Inclusive Britain” report, which was published in March 2022, the Government will not be legislating to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory at this stage. Instead, we committed to producing guidance to support those who wish to report voluntarily. This was published in April 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what answer, if any, they gave to the question from the government of China posed to the UK submitted in advance of the United Nations 4th Universal Periodic Review which asked, “What measures has the UK taken to eliminate the mentality and legacies of colonialism and to address the root causes of its long-lasting systemic and institutional racism and xenophobia?".
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In his opening statement at the UK’s Interactive Dialogue under the Universal Periodic Review, my colleague, Minister Freer, provided answers to some of the questions the UK received in advance of the session. However, there was not time to respond to all the questions and the UK provided no answer specifically to the question posed by China.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to help prevent racial discrimination in prisons in England.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Our response to the HMI Prisons thematic on the experiences of adult black staff and black prisoners recently set out our ambition to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination. This is a long-term commitment to change the culture of HMPPS for the better, with a plan focussed on actions and underpinned by clear accountability.
Our approach includes short, medium, and long-term actions to ensure there is equal opportunity and equal outcomes for all staff and people in custody. This will include reviewing the impact of use of force, developing a nationwide reverse mentoring programme, creating more targeted recruitment campaigns and continuing to work closely with third sector partners, trade unions and our staff networks, such as RISE, which focuses on black and other underrepresented staffing groups.
Routinely, prisons are responsible for identifying and tackling disproportionality locally. This is done via diversity and inclusion forums where racial issues are raised, discussed, and solutions actioned. In addition, the HMPPS Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit (TUBU) began work in August 2020 in order to change workplace behaviours (focussing on staff on staff behaviour) for the better, by providing additional support to managers investigating concerns and ensuring that investigations are carried out fairly and consistently and any unacceptable behaviour is challenged and dealt with appropriately.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will revise the Terms of Reference for the Maternity Disparities Task Force in order to ensure they (a) adequately reflect the multiple and complex reasons underlying those disparities and (b) explicitly mention racism.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We updated the Women and Equalities Select Committee via correspondence about various aspects of the Maternal Disparities taskforce in March. The questions raised within these Parliamentary Questions are taken from the recommendations within the Women and Equalities Select Committee Report on Black maternal Health, which was published on 18 April 2023. We will consider the findings and recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Select Committee and publish our response in due course.
We take the contents of this report very seriously and remain committed to tackling maternal inequalities and improving equity for mothers and babies. We will continue work to make the National Health Service one of the best places in the world to give birth by offering mothers and babies better support and safer care.
While births in England are among the safest globally, we must do more to ensure maternity care is consistent regardless of race. To address this, Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems have begun to publish Equity and Equality Action Plans to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences of maternity care at a local level. The Maternity Disparities Taskforce, which last met on 18 April, brings together experts from across the health system, Government Departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle racism in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government condemns and strives to tackle all forms of racial discrimination, prejudice, and harassment. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a duty to take steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all protected characteristics, including between people of different ethnic backgrounds. The department has published advice to support schools to fulfil their duties under the Equalities Act 2010, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools?msclkid=9ce22dddcc5d11ec9a0a2d6e2fd0a666.
As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about different societies, and how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain, and this can include experiences and voices of people from all backgrounds. The curriculum offers many opportunities for schools to do this, notably through citizenship education and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The RSHE curriculum has a strong focus on equality, respect, the harmful impact of stereotyping, as well as the importance of valuing difference. Guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.
Schools should address any intolerant, racist or discriminatory views expressed by pupils through their wider anti-bullying and safeguarding policies. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour, and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and recognition for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents. The department’s advice for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying. .
The department publishes information, guidance and support for teachers and school leaders on how to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs, on the Educate Against Hate website. This includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can help to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying, and is available here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/school-leaders/?filter=guidance-and-training-school-leaders.
The department is also providing over £3 million of funding between August 2021 and March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. We have deliberately focused this grant programme on preventing and tackling bullying of pupils with protected characteristics. This includes projects targeting the bullying of particular vulnerable groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying.