Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Paragraph: 55
The Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duty is intended to ensure public authorities have...
Recommendation
The Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duty is intended to ensure public authorities have due regard, including in their decision making, policies and service delivery, to achieving the Act’s objectives, which include the elimination of discrimination against groups of people who share a protected characteristic. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published non-statutory technical guidance on the Duty. This provides public authorities with a detailed Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services: full Report 43 and comprehensive guide to the law, but, while it can be admissible as evidence in the courts, it does not have its own legal authority. We believe disabled people’s experiences of public services during the pandemic make the case for a strengthening of the Public Sector Equality Duty, outweighing any concerns about additional burdens on authorities. The Government should consent to the Equality and Human Rights Commission issuing a statutory Code of Practice on the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Paragraph Reference:
55
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Recommendation 7 and 8 The Committee says it is very important that the Government gives much more money to all social care areas to make sure services are much more person- centred and meeting people’s needs. The Government says: We have given some extra money to social care areas. The extra money is to: ● help social care areas recover from the Coronavirus emergency ● make sure services are much more person-centred and meeting people’s needs. We agree that it is important to keep making improvements to social care. We want everyone to: ● have the care they need ● be treated with dignity ● live as independently as possible in their own home for as long as possible ● have help to plan their care. Later this year we will come up with a plan to give social care even more money and improve support for people.