Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
3
Conclusion
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We are concerned that the Government’s priorities for recovery are heavily gendered in nature. Investment plans that are skewed towards male-dominated sectors have the potential to create unequal outcomes for men and women, exacerbating existing inequalities.
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We are concerned that the Government’s priorities for recovery are heavily gendered in nature. Investment plans that are skewed towards male-dominated sectors have the potential to create unequal outcomes for men and women, exacerbating existing inequalities.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the conclusion, stating that advice to Ministers already includes analysis of protected characteristics in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. It asserts that it is not for the government to undertake economic growth assessments of independent organisation's proposals, and defends the …
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Government Equalities Office
4
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
The Treasury must provide Equality Impact Assessments for the Industrial Strategy and ‘New Deal’. These should include a Gender Beneficiary Assessment of investments from the industrial strategy to date, including receipts of grants, gender occupational composition of companies operating infrastructure contracts, innovation grants and training participants and outcomes. The Treasury …
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The Treasury must provide Equality Impact Assessments for the Industrial Strategy and ‘New Deal’. These should include a Gender Beneficiary Assessment of investments from the industrial strategy to date, including receipts of grants, gender occupational composition of companies operating infrastructure contracts, innovation grants and training participants and outcomes. The Treasury should also undertake an economic growth assessment of the Women’s Budget Group’s care-led recovery proposals. We recommend the Government publish these assessments within six months.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejected the recommendation, stating that advice to Ministers includes equality analysis in confidence, which is in line with legal requirements, and that it is not for the government to assess independent organisations' proposals.
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Government Equalities Office
6
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We recommend the Government fund training schemes specifically aimed at women in the Digital, AI, and the Green Economy through its Kickstart, New Training Fund and Restart programmes.
Government response AI summary
The Government rejected the recommendation, stating that Restart is an open-specification program for all participants, and Kickstart is a job creation scheme for young people, not suitable for specific targeting as a training scheme for women.
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Government Equalities Office
12
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We find it implausible that it is operationally impossible to increase the rates of legacy benefits by the equivalent amount of the increase in Universal Credit. We recommend the Government immediately increase legacy benefit rates by the equivalent amount.
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We find it implausible that it is operationally impossible to increase the rates of legacy benefits by the equivalent amount of the increase in Universal Credit. We recommend the Government immediately increase legacy benefit rates by the equivalent amount.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejected the recommendation, stating the £20 UC uplift was for pandemic-related income falls which did not affect legacy benefit claimants, and they have no plans to extend it.
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Government Equalities Office
13
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
Appropriate and clear guidance to Jobcentre Plus work coaches is vital, given pre-pandemic research which found that mothers subject to Universal Credit conditionality felt that their caring responsibilities were disregarded. We were unable to find specific guidance to work coaches on emergency childcare easements, beyond the very general guidance in …
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Appropriate and clear guidance to Jobcentre Plus work coaches is vital, given pre-pandemic research which found that mothers subject to Universal Credit conditionality felt that their caring responsibilities were disregarded. We were unable to find specific guidance to work coaches on emergency childcare easements, beyond the very general guidance in the entirely inadequate Equality Impact Assessment of the decision to reinstate conditionality. We recommend the DWP provide such guidance to us in response to this Report and to work coaches as a matter of urgency.
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Government response AI summary
The Government rejected the recommendation, stating that specific emergency childcare easements and guidance are already available to DWP Work Coaches via their intranet and training, and the UC guidance library is publicly available through the House of Commons Library.
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Government Equalities Office
15
Conclusion
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
While changes to the availability for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) have benefited many, it has also thrown into sharp relief the demographics of those who are not eligible, and for whom the level of SSP provides an inadequate safety net. Women are over- represented in this demographic, and we are …
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While changes to the availability for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) have benefited many, it has also thrown into sharp relief the demographics of those who are not eligible, and for whom the level of SSP provides an inadequate safety net. Women are over- represented in this demographic, and we are concerned that the Treasury seems both unaware and uninterested in the evidence showing this. (Paragraph 64) Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact 41
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Government response AI summary
The government rejected the conclusion, asserting that SSP is part of a wider welfare safety net and that a 2019 consultation on reforming SSP, including extending it to those below the lower earnings limit, received a good response and will have a response issued shortly.
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Government Equalities Office
16
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We urge the Government to conduct a study to examine the adequacy of, and eligibility for, Statutory Sick Pay. Such a study should be published within three months, alongside an equality impact analysis. This should be done alongside our recommendation for all workers on zero-hour contracts to be able to …
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We urge the Government to conduct a study to examine the adequacy of, and eligibility for, Statutory Sick Pay. Such a study should be published within three months, alongside an equality impact analysis. This should be done alongside our recommendation for all workers on zero-hour contracts to be able to claim SSP, as set out in our Report on Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people. (Paragraph 65) Young people
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Government response AI summary
The government rejected the recommendation, stating existing SSP eligibility and referring to a 2019 consultation on reforming SSP, including extending it to those below the lower earnings limit, with a response to be issued shortly, rather than committing to a new study.
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Government Equalities Office
25
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We recommend the Government publish, by June 2021, an early years strategy which sets out how childcare provision can best support not only working parents, but also those who are job-seeking and re-training. The review must also consider the feasibility of extending eligibility for free childcare provision for children under …
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We recommend the Government publish, by June 2021, an early years strategy which sets out how childcare provision can best support not only working parents, but also those who are job-seeking and re-training. The review must also consider the feasibility of extending eligibility for free childcare provision for children under the age of three years. (Paragraph 116) Embedding equalities and improving equality data
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation to publish an early years strategy and extend free childcare eligibility for under-threes, stating that existing childcare support and entitlements are sufficient. It justifies the current age eligibility by citing data on mothers returning to work when children turn three …
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Government Equalities Office
31
Conclusion
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We were disappointed that the Government chose to suspend, rather than delay, gender pay gap reporting and enforcement for this year. Given the high number of women who have been furloughed or worked reduced hours due to caring responsibilities, and the evidence of continuing gender inequality in other areas, this …
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We were disappointed that the Government chose to suspend, rather than delay, gender pay gap reporting and enforcement for this year. Given the high number of women who have been furloughed or worked reduced hours due to caring responsibilities, and the evidence of continuing gender inequality in other areas, this should have been a time for more - not less - transparency.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the committee's disappointment, explaining that the EHRC extended the gender pay gap reporting deadline for 2020/21 by six months due to the unprecedented impact of the pandemic on businesses, asserting this was the right and sensible decision.
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Government Equalities Office
34
Conclusion
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
There have been growing calls for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting. The unequal economic effects of the pandemic have demonstrated the imperative to introduce these measures.
Government response AI summary
The government rejected the imperative for disability pay reporting, citing existing support programs and a voluntary reporting framework. For ethnicity pay reporting, they are still analyzing consultation data on methodological complexities and will respond in due course.
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Government Equalities Office
35
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
The Government should publish proposals for introducing ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting within the next six months.
Government response AI summary
The government rejected publishing proposals for disability pay gap reporting, highlighting existing support programs and a voluntary framework. For ethnicity pay gap reporting, they stated they are still analyzing data from a methodology testing exercise and will respond to the consultation in due course, thus …
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Government Equalities Office
36
Conclusion
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
Whilst we appreciate the greater ‘reach’ of the ONS data, the HR1 form would provide valuable (and complementary) real time data, with which to analyse those most at risk of redundancy before policy decisions are implemented.
Government response AI summary
The Government rejected the conclusion, stating that HR1 forms are not an appropriate way to collect the recommended information due to data limitations, and highlighted existing ONS data on redundancies by sex, age, qualification, ethnicity, and disability.
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Government Equalities Office
37
Recommendation
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir…
Rejected
We recommend the Government amend the HR1 form to require information about the sex, race, and if possible other protected characteristics of staff. (Paragraph 146) 44 Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact
Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation to amend the HR1 form to collect information on sex, race, and other protected characteristics, stating the form is not an appropriate way to collect this data due to its limitations. It instead points to existing ONS data on redundancies …
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Government Equalities Office