Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 18
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people
Published 15 Dec 2020
Paragraph 133
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)
Since the coronavirus pandemic is recent and emerging there is very limited in-depth evidence that provides an account of the impact of the no recourse to public funds policy. Much of the evidence that stakeholders have provided to us is anecdotal and substantive evidence is required. However, early evidence provides the consensus that there are severe impacts of the no recourse to public funds policy that need to be addressed. We recommend that the Government suspends the no recourse to public funds policy for the duration of the pandemic. We recommend that the Home Office conducts an inquiry into the impact of the no recourse to public funds policy on BAME people and publishes a report by the end of summer 2022.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people (HC 384), paragraph 133, 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.