Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 12
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people
Published 15 Dec 2020
Paragraph 88
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We are deeply concerned by the impact of the zero-hours contracts on BAME people, particularly throughout the course of the pandemic. While in some cases and for some people, the zero-hours contract policy can be a suitable employment option, the pandemic has clearly demonstrated the need to review the way the zero-hours contract policy operates and its impact on BAME people. The long-term impacts of zero-hours contracts, including the poor quality of jobs, should also be considered in the review. We recommend that the Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities reviews the zero-hours contract policy and considers the disproportionate impact on BAME workers during the pandemic. This review should be conducted by the end of 2021 and the findings should be reported in early 2022.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people (HC 384), paragraph 88, 15 December 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 5 March 2021.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response addresses each recommendation separately, agreeing that the COVID-19 recovery must address health inequalities while declining or not adopting several specific proposals, including the NHS Health Check age change and a new overcrowding strategy.
- On health inequalities, the government "agrees that the COVID-19 recovery must be undertaken in a way that addresses health inequalities", but it does not say it will implement the Marmot recommendations in full.
- On extending NHS Health Checks to BAME people from age 25, the government says it "would be inappropriate" to adopt the recommendation "at this stage", because an ongoing review is considering the appropriate starting age.
- On a strategy to reduce overcrowding, the government "recognises the Committee’s findings on overcrowding, but does not accept the recommendation", citing work already underway. It also says it is "not appropriate" to take work forward on a separate housing conditions strategy, citing duplication and delay.
- On Universal Credit ethnicity data, the Department for Work and Pensions says it "does not have the legal power to mandate" this, and that primary legislation would be required. On Statutory Sick Pay for zero-hours workers, it says extension would require new primary legislation.