Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people

Women and Equalities Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Jun 2020 Closed: 4 Nov 2021 Parliament page
Watch a British Sign Language explainer video here. From the Unequal Impact: coronavirus and the impact on people with protected characteristics inquiry, the Women and Equalities Committee is launching three sub-inquiries. Read more about our decision to launch the sub-inquires here . In this sub-inquiry, the Committee wants to explore … Read more
18 Recommendations
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
4 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 12 events
5 Mar
2021
Report published
2 Mar
2021
Correspondence
14 Jan
2021
Correspondence
15 Dec
2020
Report published
1 Sep
2020
Correspondence
15 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
15 Jul
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
7 Jul
2020
Correspondence
1 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
1 Jul
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
17 Jun
2020
Oral evidence
17 Jun
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
15 Jul 2020
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Dorian Kennedy · Department for Health and Social Care Emma Fraser · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Jo Churchill MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Kemi Badenoch MP · Government Equalities Office Marcus Bell · Equality Hub The Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
1 Jul 2020
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Cym D'Souza · BME National Dr Andrea Barry · Joseph Rowntree Foundation Dr Zubaida Haque · Runnymede Trust
17 Jun 2020
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Barbara Palmer Dr Chaand Nagpaul · Council of the British Medical Association Naz Zaman · Lancashire BME Network Professor Kamlesh Khunti · University of Leicester Professor Lucinda Platt · London School of Economics Rosie Lewis · Angelou Centre
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people HC 384 15 Dec 2020 18 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
18 results
1 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Comorbidities pose a risk for BAME people to experience coronavirus more severely and, at times,...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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2 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Many reviews and reports have put forward recommendations to tackle health inequalities.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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3 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
It is vital that Government guidance is accessible to everyone so that individuals can stay...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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4 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We believe that current guidance is inadequately catering to the needs of BAME people and...
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, … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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5 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We welcome the Government’s Community Champions scheme; it is a step in the right direction.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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6 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We welcome this step by the Government to record ethnicity on death certificates.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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7 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We understand that data sharing is voluntary.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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8 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We recommend that the Race Disparity Unit extend the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website to...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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9 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We welcome the Minister’s commitment to consider occupation as part of the work she is...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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10 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
There is a link between the occupation of a person and their exposure, vulnerability and...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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11 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Previous Governments have done much work to improve the zero-hours contract policy, however, this work...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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12 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We are deeply concerned by the impact of the zero-hours contracts on BAME people, particularly...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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13 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
There are known barriers to applying to Universal Credit.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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14 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
The Government does not know enough about how Universal Credit is operating for different groups.
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. … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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15 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We further recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions reviews and publishes a report...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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16 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
The guidance that the Government has produced for those in overcrowded housing is substandard.
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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17 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Poor housing conditions have adverse impacts on health; living in poor quality housing is an...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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18 Recommendation
Third Report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Since the coronavirus pandemic is recent and emerging there is very limited in-depth evidence that...
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 … Read more
Government Equalities Office
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Correspondence 4 letters
2 Mar 2021 To committee Letter from Kemi Badenoch MP, Minister for Equalities, to the Chair, regarding the Second quarterly report on addressing COVID-19 health disparities and response to the WESC report Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people.
Parliament page
14 Jan 2021 From committee Letter to the Chair from the EHRC relating to the Committee's recommendation to it in the report on Coronavirus and BAME people
Parliament page
1 Sep 2020 To committee Letter from Kemi Badenoch MP concerning Minister for Equalities on Coronavirus and BAME people
Parliament page
7 Jul 2020 To committee Letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, concerning Unequal impact? Coronavirus and BAME people
Parliament page