Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people
Women and Equalities Committee
HC 384
Published 15 December 2020
Recommendations
1
Para 19
Comorbidities pose a risk for BAME people to experience coronavirus more severely and, at times,...
Recommendation
Comorbidities pose a risk for BAME people to experience coronavirus more severely and, at times, with adverse health outcomes. To tackle comorbidities, primary prevention should be prioritised. We are concerned that the decision to disband Public Health England could result …
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2
Para 24
Many reviews and reports have put forward recommendations to tackle health inequalities.
Recommendation
Many reviews and reports have put forward recommendations to tackle health inequalities. Now is the time for action and the Government should finally act on these recommendations. The Government should prioritise implementing the entirety of the recommendations in the ‘Marmot …
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Government Equalities Office
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3
Para 35
It is vital that Government guidance is accessible to everyone so that individuals can stay...
Recommendation
It is vital that Government guidance is accessible to everyone so that individuals can stay informed and prevent contraction or transmission of the disease. To ensure that Government guidance is accessible for BAME communities, the Government must ensure its guidance …
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Government Equalities Office
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4
Para 36
We believe that current guidance is inadequately catering to the needs of BAME people and...
Recommendation
We believe that current guidance is inadequately catering to the needs of BAME people and the publication of translated guidance has been slow and often less accessible than English-language versions. The Government should update the guidance on the virus itself, …
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Government Equalities Office
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5
Para 37
We welcome the Government’s Community Champions scheme; it is a step in the right direction.
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s Community Champions scheme; it is a step in the right direction. In order to ensure the scheme’s success, we urge the Government to liaise with BAME women and representatives of BAME women to encourage them to …
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6
Para 47
We welcome this step by the Government to record ethnicity on death certificates.
Recommendation
We welcome this step by the Government to record ethnicity on death certificates. However, we are disappointed that this has taken the Government so long. We agree with the Minister that the data would have been helpful, and we do …
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7
Para 51
We understand that data sharing is voluntary.
Recommendation
We understand that data sharing is voluntary. However, we believe it is the Government’s responsibility to build trust among BAME communities so that they are comfortable in volunteering data. We strongly disagree with the Minister’s approach and the resistance to …
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Government Equalities Office
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8
We recommend that the Race Disparity Unit extend the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website to...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Race Disparity Unit extend the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website to include a section on the BAME impacts of coronavirus specifically reporting the disaggregated share of BAME people being tested; the disaggregated share of BAME people …
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Government Equalities Office
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9
Para 70
We welcome the Minister’s commitment to consider occupation as part of the work she is...
Recommendation
We welcome the Minister’s commitment to consider occupation as part of the work she is doing to take the PHE review forward; it is vital that the Government examines the interaction between ethnicity, occupation and outcomes of coronavirus. We recommend …
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Government Equalities Office
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10
Para 71
There is a link between the occupation of a person and their exposure, vulnerability and...
Recommendation
There is a link between the occupation of a person and their exposure, vulnerability and risk of contracting the virus. We fear that work on formally establishing this link has been significantly delayed. No clear assessments have been made on …
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11
Para 87
Previous Governments have done much work to improve the zero-hours contract policy, however, this work...
Recommendation
Previous Governments have done much work to improve the zero-hours contract policy, however, this work has not gone far enough. The coronavirus pandemic has sharpened the focus on the systemic issues with the zero-hours contracts policy, including the disproportionate number …
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12
We are deeply concerned by the impact of the zero-hours contracts on BAME people, particularly...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Equalities Office
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13
Para 103
There are known barriers to applying to Universal Credit.
Recommendation
There are known barriers to applying to Universal Credit. These have been thrown into sharp focus by the pandemic. Given that the country has now exited two national lockdowns and continues to be subject to covid-19 restrictions, it is critical …
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14
Para 104
The Government does not know enough about how Universal Credit is operating for different groups.
Recommendation
The Government does not know enough about how Universal Credit is operating for different groups. The Government does not know, for example, how many BAME claimants there are and if they are negatively affected by the Universal Credit application system. …
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15
We further recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions reviews and publishes a report...
Recommendation
We further recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions reviews and publishes a report on the barriers to accessing the Universal Credit application system by January 2023. The Department should use the diversity data to assess how BAME Unequal …
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Government Equalities Office
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16
Para 115
The guidance that the Government has produced for those in overcrowded housing is substandard.
Recommendation
The guidance that the Government has produced for those in overcrowded housing is substandard. There was no clear guidance in one place from the Government on how to overcome the practical challenges of living in overcrowded, and in some cases …
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17
Poor housing conditions have adverse impacts on health; living in poor quality housing is an...
Recommendation
Poor housing conditions have adverse impacts on health; living in poor quality housing is an aggravating factor in experiencing coronavirus severely. Pre-existing housing inequalities may have exacerbated the impact of coronavirus on BAME people. We welcome the Social Housing White …
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Government Equalities Office
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18
Since the coronavirus pandemic is recent and emerging there is very limited in-depth evidence that...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Equalities Office
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