(Sheffield, Brightside and
Hillsborough) (Lab)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities
if she will make a statement on the Public Health England review
of disparities in risks and outcomes related to the covid-19
outbreak.
The Minister for Equalities ()
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement.
As a black woman and the Equalities Minister, it would be odd if
I did not comment on the recent events in the US and protests in
London yesterday. Like all right-minded people, regardless of
their race, I was profoundly disturbed by the brutal murder of
George Floyd at the hands of the police. During these moments of
heightened racial tension, we must not pander to anyone who seeks
to inflame those tensions. Instead, we must work together to
improve the lives of people from black and minority ethnic
communities. It is in that spirit that we approach the assessment
of the impact of covid-19 on ethnic minorities. If we want to
resolve the disparities identified in the PHE report, it is
critical that we accurately understand the causes, based on
empirical analysis of the facts and not preconceived positions.
On Tuesday, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Health and Social Care confirmed to the House that Public Health
England has now completed its review of disparities in the risks
and outcomes of covid-19. The review confirms that covid-19 has
replicated, and in some cases increased, existing health
inequalities related to risk factors including age, gender,
ethnicity and geography, with higher diagnosis rates in deprived,
densely populated urban areas. The review also confirmed that
being black or from a minority ethnic background is a risk
factor. That racial disparity has been shown to hold even after
accounting for the effect of age, deprivation, region and sex.
I thank Public Health England for undertaking this important work
so quickly. I know that its findings will be a cause for concern
across the House, as they are for individuals and families across
the country. The Government share that concern, which is why they
are now reviewing the impact and effectiveness of their actions
to lessen disparities in infection and death rates of covid-19,
and to determine what further measures are necessary.
It is also clear that more needs to be done to understand the key
drivers of those disparities and the relationships between
different risk factors. The Government will commission further
data research and analytical work by the Equalities Hub to
clarify the reasons for the gaps in evidence highlighted by the
report. Taking action without taking the necessary time and
effort to understand the root causes of those disparities only
risks worsening the situation. That is why I am taking this work
forward with the Race Disparity Unit in the Cabinet Office, and
the Department of Health and Social Care, and I will keep the
House updated.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. On 2
June, Public Health England published its long-awaited review of
disparities in the risks and outcomes of covid-19 for BAME
communities. The review confirms what we already know: racial and
health inequalities amplify the risk of covid-19. It found that
those from BAME backgrounds were more than twice as likely to die
from covid-19 than white people, and that BAME healthcare workers
are at particular risk of infection. These lives matter, and it
is time for the Government to take action on the devastating
impact that this virus has had on BAME communities.
Public Health England’s review fails to make a single
recommendation on how to reduce those inequalities, protect
workers on the front line, or save lives. That is despite the
fact that its terms of reference include to “suggest
recommendations” for further action. Will the Minister urgently
explain why the review failed to do that? The Government have
said that the Race Disparity Unit will publish recommendations on
the findings from the review. When will those recommendations be
published, alongside a plan for their implementation?
More than 1,000 individuals and organisations supplied evidence
to the review. Many suggested that discrimination and racism
increase the risk of covid-19 for BAME communities. Will the
Minister explain why those views were not included in the review?
Does she accept that structural racism has impacted the outcomes
of covid-19? Does she agree that it is now time to address
underlying socioeconomic inequalities facing BAME communities,
and will she confirm that the Government will take action to do
so? BAME workers on the frontline of this crisis are anxious for
their lives. Will the Minister listen to Labour’s demands to call
on all employers to risk assess their BAME workforce? Coronavirus
thrives on inequality, and there is no more important time to
tackle racial injustices in our society and save lives during
this crisis. It is now up to the Government to take action and
show their commitment that black lives matter.
It is imperative that we understand the key drivers of those
disparities, the relationships between different risk factors,
and what we can do to close the gap. That way, we will ensure
that we do not take action that is not warranted by the evidence.
The hon. Lady is right: Public Health England did not make
recommendations, because it was not able to do so. Some of the
data needed is not routinely collected, but acquiring it would be
extremely beneficial. As I said earlier, I will be taking forward
work to fill the gaps in our understanding, and review existing
policies or develop new ones where needed. It is important to
remind ourselves that this review was conducted in a short
period, and it sets out firm conclusions. As the author of the
report said on Tuesday night, there is a great deal of background
and detailed information that we think will be helpful. It is not
easy to go directly from analysis to making recommendations, and
we must widely disseminate and discuss the report before deciding
what needs to be done.
(Romsey and Southampton
North) (Con)
The Race Disparity Unit is now in the Cabinet Office and at the
heart of Government. My hon. Friend is right to say that it needs
all the available data to make the correct recommendations. Will
she reassure me, from the heart of Government, that this will not
just be a matter for the Equalities Office or for the Department
of Health and Social Care, but that it will include the
Departments for Work and Pensions, for Transport and for
Education? In all those areas we might expect to see real
commitment to action that will make lives better for our BAME
communities.
My right hon. Friend is right, and I thank her for that question.
Equalities are not something that happens in the Equalities
Office; equalities happen across Whitehall. Every Department has
responsibility to ensure that it makes the right policies for all
the people who are impacted by the activities that are carried
out, and I will continue to work with them on that.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
I wish to reassure Scotland’s BAME communities that the SNP takes
this issue very seriously. On 20 May, the Scottish Government
published Public Health Scotland’s preliminary analysis, which
suggested that the proportion of BAME patients among those
seriously ill with covid is no higher than the proportion in the
Scottish population generally. However, the Scottish Government
are treating those findings with caution, given the findings in
England and Wales. Further work is under way to deepen
understanding of the risk factors and improve analysis.
It was good to hear the Prime Minister agree with my right hon.
Friend the Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber () yesterday that black lives
matter. However, actions speak louder than words and some
Government policies impact more strongly on BAME communities.
What action will the UK Government take to review their no
recourse to public funds policies, given that the Prime Minister
revealed that he was unaware that thousands of people are locked
out of available support due to those rules? In addition, why
will the UK Government not lower the earnings threshold for
statutory sick pay, which is forcing people in BAME communities
out to work when it is not safe for them to be working?
On Public Health Scotland having different results from Public
Health England, we are finding this in a range of reports and it
is one reason why we are not rushing to recommendations. It is
important to note that the PHE review did not take into account
other factors such as comorbidities. On no recourse to public
funds, we have taken extensive action to support those with
recourse to public funds. The range of such actions includes:
protections for renters from evictions; mortgage holidays for
those who need them; support for those who are vulnerable and
need assistance with access to medication and shopping; the
coronavirus job retention scheme; and the self-employed income
support scheme. Those with no recourse to public funds do have
access to statutory sick pay, which the hon. and learned Lady
mentioned. Furthermore, if an individual has been working in the
UK and sufficient national insurance contributions have been
made, they may be entitled to claim contributory employment and
support allowance. We have also allocated £750 million of funding
for charities, which are providing vital support to vulnerable
people at this difficult time.
(North East
Bedfordshire) (Con)
Sensitivity to disproportionate risk is greater when the
leadership of institutions includes representation of those most
at risk. That is an issue for corporations such as Transport for
London and, in particular, Govia Thameslink Railway, given what
happened to Ms Mujinga. It is an issue for the NHS, where
although there has historically been an over-representation of
black and minority ethnic people among employees, they have been
under-represented in the leadership of the NHS. In this instance,
it is a case for the leadership of PHE, as I believe that not one
of either the chief executive or his direct reports is drawn from
the BAME communities. Will my hon. Friend look into how the
Government can promote diversity in the leadership of our leading
institutions?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question, which makes an
important point. We do want to see diversity in leadership across
institutions in this country, which is one reason why we asked
Professor Kevin Fenton, who is a black surgeon, to lead on this
review. This issue is close to my heart, and, as a black woman
who is Equalities Minister, I will be looking into it as well. I
can definitely take this forward and examine what is happening
across our institutions.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
In 2010, Professor Marmot published his report on how structural
inequalities predispose the poorest to the worst health outcomes.
We know how race inequality is entwined with that. A decade on,
the inequalities have grown. The PHE report has now highlighted
the fatal consequences of that. Even today, low-paid workers are
exposed to the greatest infection risks, and lockdown easement is
reinforcing that. Will the Minister pause the easement plan until
a full mitigation plan is in place to address these inequalities?
It is important to reiterate that any easement plan is being made
in conjunction with scientists. The Government have reviewed and
explained guidance extensively across all sorts of occupational
areas. It is important that employers make risk assessments for
their staff so that they are not unduly exposed to the virus.
(Dudley North) (Con)
As a former employer, and as a new employer in this place, I am
acutely aware of the impact I can have on the welfare of my
employees. Will my hon. Friend therefore say how important it is
to engage with employers in the work that she does?
That is a very good point, and I thank my hon. Friend for his
question. Engaging employers as well as employees will be
essential. Professor Kevin Fenton of PHE has already undertaken
extensive stakeholder engagement on this issue, and I intend to
assist him in continuing that excellent work. I also intend to
ensure that this approach continues to cover other factors such
as age, sex, geography and deprivation.
(Putney) (Lab)
The Spanish flu epidemic led to huge, widescale social reform,
and this report points to the need to do the same. Almost three
quarters of health and social care staff who have died as a
result of covid-19 are from black and ethnic minorities. Why does
the review fail to mention the occupational discrimination faced
by BME healthcare staff, which has been highlighted by the
British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing and
needs urgent attention?
Again, it is important to remember that the purpose of the review
was to look at specific factors. There are other factors that we
will continue to look at. This is not the end of the process; it
is the beginning of the process. I am going to take the
information from the first stage, and that will be part of the
work we will carry out in the programme. It must be said that we
are working round the clock to protect everyone on the frontline
during this pandemic for as long as it is required, and that will
include BAME staff on the frontline.
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
Belly Mujinga died tragically from coronavirus after being spat
at while at work at Victoria station. She was at increased risk
as a result of her ethnicity and underlying health conditions.
Thousands of BAME frontline workers recognise the risks that
Belly faced as the same risks that they continue to be exposed
to, and her appalling death must lead to change. There must be
justice for Belly Mujinga and her family by way of meaningful
action to stop unnecessary BAME frontline deaths now. When will
the Government instruct employers to put in place the
comprehensive protections that are needed for all BAME staff and
other vulnerable workers who need protection to stop them dying
now?
I thank the hon. Lady for raising the case of Belly Mujinga. I am
extremely saddened and shocked by what I have read about her
death. I understand, contrary to what the hon. Lady says, that
British Transport police are not taking further action in Belly
Mujinga’s case because senior detectives are confident that the
incident at Victoria station did not lead to her contracting
covid. Nevertheless, this was an appalling incident, and
frontline workers like Ms Mujinga deserve to be treated with
respect at work, especially during this challenging time. We know
that there are a high number of BAME individuals working in
healthcare, social care and transport, and it is vital that we
understand more about their experiences during the next piece of
work I am taking forward. It is important to reiterate that the
Government have already done what the hon. Lady said, which is to
ensure that employers know that they must risk-assess their
employees before they put them out to work. We will continue to
reiterate that message.
(North Devon) (Con)
The report identified age as the greatest disparity. Can the
Minister assure me that she is conscious of the sacrifices that
older people are making and that she will do what she can to
ensure that older people are treated equally as far as possible?
Yes. The largest disparity found was by age. People diagnosed who
were 80 or older were 70 times more likely to die than those
under 40. My hon. Friend is right, and that is something I will
be doing.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
As I said to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
earlier this week, it is one thing to say that black lives matter
and quite another to force black people and people from BAME
backgrounds out to work who have no choice other than to go to
work because they have no recourse to public funds. No recourse
to public funds is a racist policy. Will she abolish it now?
I must push back on some of what the hon. Lady said. It is wrong
to conflate all black people with recent immigrants and assume,
which is what she just said, that we all have to pay a surcharge.
That is wrong. I am a black woman who is out to work. My
employer—[Interruption.] This House has done everything it can to
make sure that I am following the guidelines and that all of us
are. It is absolutely wrong to try to conflate lots of different
issues and merge them into one, just so that it can get traction
in the press. I go back—[Interruption.] I go back to what I said
in my original statement. It is not right for us to use confected
outrage. We need courage to say the right things, and we need to
be courageous in order to calm down racial tensions, not inflame
them just so that we have something to put on social media.
(Basingstoke) (Con)
Every death in this pandemic is a tragedy, and we have to know
how to better protect the most vulnerable, yet this Public Health
England analysis is based on incomplete data for ethnic minority
groups, because it does not include two key factors—occupation
and comorbidities—in the deaths among ethnic minority groups. Why
not, particularly given the undertakings given by the Office for
National Statistics to the Women and Equalities Select Committee
two years ago, when we did a report into the race disparity audit
and when it was acknowledged that there were huge discrepancies
and inconsistencies in the way data was collected for ethnic
minority groups? Can the Minister address this?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I would have hoped to
see more, but I understand that Public Health England did not
have all the data it needed. Some of the things not present
included comorbidities, population density, public transport use,
household composition and housing conditions. That is why it is
important that I take this forward. All the things she has listed
are things we will definitely be looking at in the next stages.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Lab)
Anyone in Westminster yesterday could not have failed to notice
the Black Lives Matter protest, inspired by Minneapolis. The
placard that sticks in my mind most said: “Being black should not
be a death sentence”. The Minister talked about having courage
and being a black woman herself. She and I are both BME parents.
Can we really look into our sons’ eyes and say we acknowledged
it? Surely we need action. It is not good enough. When will we
see a detailed plan, with deliverables, objectives, dates and
buy-in from all our diverse communities, so that this does not
just look like a box-ticking exercise?
I agree that we cannot be seen to be doing a box-ticking
exercise, but we also should not just accept statements such as
“being black is a death sentence” in this country. It is not
true, although it is true there are disparities and other factors
that can make outcomes worse. Let us look at that, but let us not
in this House use statements such as “being black is a death
sentence”. Young people out there hear that, do not understand
the context and then continue to believe that they live in a
society that is against them, when actually this is one of the
best countries in the world in which to be a black person.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
The report on disparities in the risks of contracting covid-19 is
extremely concerning, so how will the Minister ensure that
everybody is treated equally, regardless of ethnicity?
We are considering the experiences and circumstances of people
across society so that, while the UK will be changed by this
experience, we can emerge stronger and more united. All parts of
the Government must take care to pay due regard to the equalities
impacts of policy decisions in line with the public sector
equalities duty and our commitment to promoting equalities.
(Colne Valley) (Con)
I join the Minister in her utter condemnation of the horrific
murder of George Floyd. Black lives do matter! Does the Minister
agree that the UK should be very proud of the huge contribution
BAME workers have made during this crisis, both as key workers
and in the health service? With that in mind, following this
review, will she say once again what immediate action she is
taking to address these disparities?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In a time of crisis and great
worry for many of us, it has been heartening to see different
communities working together hand in hand and people
acknowledging the huge contributions people from BME backgrounds
have made to this country? As I have said, however, we must take
the right action; we must not rush into doing the things people
are asking for if it turns out they are the wrong steps to take
but look right. It is not about optics; it is about doing the
right thing, and that is why we are not rushing. We will have a
proper programme. We will look at all the studies that have come
out, not just the Public Health England one, and produce an
appropriate set of recommendations that have the confidence of
various communities.
(Brent Central) (Lab)
The PHE report has no third-party submissions. Where are the
missing submissions and will the Minister place them in the House
of Commons Library? The Government have a reputation for
whitewashing reports and hiding from the consequences of
structural racism. The Minister says she is not going to rush. In
2016, the Conservative Prime Minister said she would tackle the
burning injustices in society. What happened? Where is the social
injustice office that was promised in 2016? There is not rushing,
and then there is taking your time and avoiding the issue. The
Windrush report was delayed and edited, and some parts were
deleted. That is a worrying trend of this Government. The PHE
report essentially says that there is nothing internal about why
black, Asian and minority ethnic people are dying of covid at
twice the rate of their white counterparts. There is nothing
internal. That means that it is external, and it is accelerated
by this Government.
I utterly reject what the hon. Lady has said. With permission, Mr
Speaker, I think I need to clarify some confusion that seems to
have arisen. The Government commissioned a review to analyse how
different factors can impact on people’s health outcomes from
covid-19. That is what was published this week. Separately, PHE
has been engaging with a significant number of individuals and
organisations within the BAME community over the past couple of
months to hear their views. That was not a part of this. A lot of
people think that that is something that should have been in the
report. We will be building on, and expanding on, that engagement
as we take this work forward, but that is different from the
report that we have commissioned.
(Meon Valley) (Con)
I have read the report and I do understand that it has been
rushed, but it does raise a number of issues, such as the effect
of age and ethnicity. Further examination is also needed of other
issues such as comorbidities, socioeconomic issues and
multi-generational living, which is the case in Italy too. Does
the Minister feel that the report has gone far enough?
The short answer is no. The report is a welcome first step, but
it certainly has not gone far enough. We will take it to where we
think it needs to get to.
(Coventry South) (Lab)
The coronavirus does not discriminate, but the system in which it
is spreading does. Higher rates of poverty, overcrowded housing,
precarious work and jobs on the frontline mean that if you are
black or Asian you are more likely to catch the virus and to be
hit worse if you do. “Black lives matter” is not a slogan. We are
owed more than confirmation that our communities are suffering;
we are owed justice. Will the Minister commit to a race equality
strategy covering all Whitehall Departments, so that we can
rebuild by tackling the underlying inequalities and systemic
injustice that coronavirus has so brutally laid bare?
All I can say to the hon. Lady is that the Government are doing
every single thing they can to make sure we eliminate the
disparities that we are seeing because of this disease. We must
remember that, as we talk about different groups, there are many
other groups that have been impacted based on age and even based
on gender. We are looking at all of that. I am not going to take
any lessons from the hon. Lady on race and what I should be doing
on that. I think the Government have a record to be proud of. We
will wait and see the outcomes of the following steps in the
recommendations.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
What assurances can the Minister give my constituents in Hyndburn
and Haslingden that the Government are recording covid-related
deaths based on ethnic data? What steps is she taking in support
of the NHS to ensure that BAME communities have the same positive
health outcomes as all other communities?
This goes back to the point I made about making sure that
everyone is treated equally. We need to look at some of the data
that is being collected to make sure there is consistency across
the board. That is something that has come out from the different
reviews undertaken on this issue and we will continue to work on
that.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
The review, as we know, found that people of Chinese, Indian,
Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean and other black ethnicity had
between 10% and 50% higher risk of death when compared to white
British, yet only 11 of the 89 pages explore the issue of racial
inequalities in coronavirus deaths. We have also heard reports
that there is a chapter, referring to individuals and stakeholder
groups, which is not included. Can the Minister assure us that
there is no reason why the people she referred to as being dealt
with separately should not have been included in the report? Can
she assure us that what we will see from the Government is the
full unredacted evidence from individuals and stakeholder groups
to address the imbalance in the evidence in this review?
Again—I will repeat this point—it is important that we understand
the key drivers of the disparities. What we commissioned was a
quantitative review. We want to be evidence-led. Stakeholder
engagement is important, but we do not want to conflate the two
things, and that is something that we will be taking forward in
the future.
(North Somerset) (Con)
One of the biggest disparities in deaths from covid is the gender
difference. The standardised mortality rate among men is 781 per
100,000; among women, it is 439 per 100,000. Across all
communities, we are talking about fathers, brothers, sons,
husbands, partners and friends. This affects the whole country.
Will my hon. Friend ensure that resources are given to
understanding why this gender difference is there and how we can
tackle it in the future? I am sure that one thing the whole House
can agree on is that all lives matter and they all matter
equally.
That is absolutely correct; I agree with my right hon. Friend. At
the risk of sounding clichéd, this is a Government that we want
to work for everyone, but it is not yet fully clear what drives
the differences in outcomes between males and females. Some could
be driven by risks of acquiring infection due to behavioural and
occupational factors—again, that is something that the PHE review
was not able to look at—or by differences in how women and men
develop symptoms and biological and immune differences. However,
my right hon. Friend is absolutely right; this is something that
does need to be looked into further, and we are actively working
on that.
(Ceredigion) (PC)
Twenty per cent. of all reported cases of covid-19 in prisons
across England and Wales have been recorded in Welsh prisons,
despite the fact that Welsh prisons hold just 6% of the total
prison population. We know that a disproportionate number of
those in the Welsh prison system are from black, Asian and
minority ethnic communities. What plans do the Government have to
work with the Welsh Government to address that racial disparity
and the health implications arising from it for BME communities?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As he will know, the
review was by Public Health England. I have not seen the Welsh
figures that he talks about, but if he writes to me separately, I
think I might be able to provide some more information after
speaking to officials.
(Kensington) (Con)
We talk a lot about levelling up, but normally in the context of
the north versus the south. As my hon. Friend knows, in our
cities—in particular in London—we have huge inequalities. Will
she assure me that we will look out for all those left behind?
My hon. Friend is right. Levelling up is not just about north and
south; it is going to cut across lots of different areas.
Responding to the challenges of covid-19 specifically does not
mean that the Government have forgotten that. We remain committed
to a levelling up of every region and nation, and even within
regions and nations of the UK, and that can still be a critical
part of how we get back to normal.
(Cardiff West) (Lab)
Earlier, the Minister said that equalities is something that
happens across Whitehall. Self-employed women, including BAME
women, who have had maternity leave in the last three years lose
out under the Chancellor’s covid-19 self-employed income support
scheme. That is overt pregnancy discrimination, pure and simple,
by the Minister’s Government. What is she doing to rectify it?
The Government have introduced an unprecedented scheme of
packages to help all those people financially impacted by
covid-19. As the hon. Gentleman knows, we are using average
earnings data based over the last three years. That does mean
that some groups are impacted, but because of how Her Majesty’s
Revenue and Customs collects information, that is not necessarily
something that we can address. That is why we have other schemes
in place, which people hopefully should be able to access.
(West Bromwich East)
(Con)
The recent report does not include recommendations for people
with underlying health conditions or by employment type. Will the
Minister commit to looking into those factors further so that we
can properly address the causes of the disproportionate effects
of covid-19 on BAME communities?
Yes, is the short answer. We can look at that.
(Blackpool South) (Con)
Blackpool contains some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in
the whole of England, and in some of those communities the life
expectancy for the poorest is 20 years below the national
average. The PHE report makes it explicitly clear that deprived
communities such as those in my constituency have been
disproportionately affected by covid-19, a fact that is supported
by our high local infection rate. Does my hon. Friend agree that
it is imperative that the Government redouble our efforts to
reduce health inequalities between the richest and the poorest?
Yes, absolutely. We will look very closely at the health
inequalities aspects of the report. That is part of the work that
I am going to be carrying forward.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
I commend the hon. Member for Blackpool South () for what he has just said,
because it is what I was about to say—although I am not going to
sit down just yet, if that is all right. It is a simple fact that
my constituency, the Rhondda, has one of the highest death rates
per 100,000 head of population in the country, and therefore in
the world. Being poor is certainly an early death sentence—by
some 20 years compared with richer parts of the country—and that
is because it is the people who are subsisting on poor wages, few
hours and unsafe labour in difficult working conditions, without
proper protection, with miserly benefits, with statutory sick pay
that does not enable people to put food on the table, relying on
food banks, who are dying. Surely, one lesson that we must learn
from coronavirus is that we must pay our key workers properly so
that they can put food on the table and not rely on food banks.
I do not think anyone in the House can disagree with what the
hon. Gentleman just said, and I do agree with him. We are putting
forward policies to address some of these things. We are looking
at some things in the short term that relate specifically to
coronavirus, and he and I can have conversations about medium to
long-term interventions in future.
(Wealden) (Con)
The lack of leadership and transparency in Public Health England
and NHS England has been shamefully exposed, with BAME health
workers dying at a greater rate. Covid has showed us what it
means when these institutions are not equal, with BAME workers
saying that they did not have the same access to personal
protective equipment as their white colleagues and felt pressured
to work on the frontline. As both Public Health England and NHS
England are independent, how will my hon. Friend hold them to
account?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the concerns that we
have been hearing anecdotally. This is something that needs to be
handled sensitively, because on the one hand, we know that there
are areas that need to be addressed, but on the other hand, I do
not want anyone to think that we are criticising NHS workers for
not looking after their own. It is something that needs to be
handled absolutely sensitively, but we are on top of it. I thank
my hon. Friend for raising that point.
(East Ham) (Lab)
Does the Minister agree with the report that there are additional
barriers that make it harder for BAME communities to access key
services? In particular, will she press her colleagues to suspend
the “no recourse to public funds” restriction, which has
prevented thousands of hard-working BAME families, many with
children born in the UK, from claiming universal credit during
this crisis?
I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave
earlier. I know that a lot of people are concerned about this
issue, and we have taken extensive action to support those with
no recourse to public funds. We understand that there may be
difficulties for failed asylum seekers who cannot return home,
and we are continuing to provide free accommodation to those who
would otherwise be destitute. That is just another example of how
the Government are looking at these things intensely. We have not
forgotten anyone.
(Gedling) (Con)
The Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit supports Departments in
driving change where disparities are found. Will the Minister
ensure that the unit is dedicated to understanding how to close
the gap in respect of coronavirus?
Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. We need to look at a
whole range of areas. I go back to what I said earlier about this
being not the end of the review process but the beginning. I urge
Members from all parties, if there are areas that they want us to
look at, to please write to me so that we can make sure that we
include them.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
Does the Minister not understand that “no recourse to public
funds” reinforces the various structural inequalities that the
Black Lives Matter campaign is trying to call out? It is not
leaving my constituents looking for mortgage holidays; it is
leaving them destitute. That is not just unequal; it is inhumane.
So will the Government please review this situation and allow
people to get the support that they so desperately need?
I will repeat the point I made earlier: we should not conflate
black people with people who do not have any recourse to public
funds. It is a very—I am not going to say the words “disingenuous
argument”, Mr Speaker, but I do think that this is something that
we need to be very clear about and not muddy the waters in terms
of what is going on.
(Bolsover)
(Con)
I have received many, many letters from constituents across the
Bolsover constituency saying how proud they are of how many BAME
people have contributed to our health service and to our care
system. Does the Minister agree that they have made a fantastic
contribution and that we should welcome that?
Absolutely. We do welcome that. It is very heartening, as I said
earlier, to see that communities all across the country are not
just saying, but showing, how much we value the contribution that
black and minority ethnic workers—key workers in
particular—provide to our society.
Mr Speaker
Lloyd Russell-Moyle—not here, so I call .
(Wolverhampton North East)
(Con)
I am a very proud Wulfrunian and I am proud that many of my
fellow Wulfrunians have roots all over the world. Does the
Minister agree that people are now concerned about this report,
and that we need to keep pushing hand-washing and social
distancing? Does she also agree that it is up to Members in this
place to set an example to the BAME communities?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right and raises a very important
point. People do look to this House to set an example across the
country, and those of us in this House must not just demonstrate
that we agree with the guidance, but show that we are following
the rules as well.
(Garston and Halewood)
(Lab)
The research shows, among many disturbing findings about race
disparities, that diagnosis rates are higher in deprived and
densely populated urban areas, and that our great cities such as
Liverpool have been hardest hit by the virus. Does the Minister
accept that the reason why we must research covid disparities is
so that effective action can be taken to address them? Will she
undertake to ensure right now that the Government allocate
resources to combat covid in such a way as to address these
inequalities—she can do that now—rather than on a crude per
capita basis that completely ignores the realities of who is
hardest hit and why?
We are distributing funds in many different ways. I have spoken
to, for example, the mayors of combined authorities, and they
have raised this issue with me as a Treasury Minister, and we
will continue to look at it.
(Peterborough) (Con)
The report does reveal correlations between the virus and certain
other conditions. Diabetes is mentioned on around 20% of death
certificates, but that rises to almost half of the certificates
for black and Asian deaths. Does the Minister agree that these
links with other health conditions—co-morbidities—need to be
studied thoroughly?
Yes, my hon. Friend is right. Within some medical circles, there
is an expectation that when we do account for co-morbidities—I
believe that there was an article in The Times which referenced
the SAGE report—some of these differences do reduce to zero. That
is why we are not rushing to take into account what one specific
report is saying; we are looking at what has been said by all the
different reports, such as the one from Public Health Scotland,
to make sure that we find out exactly what is going on.
(North East Fife)
(LD)
I have received a great deal of correspondence from constituents
who are rightly angry at the Government’s delay in publishing
this report. Given the lack of recommendations, guidelines or
action plan, will the Minister also now commit to establishing a
post-covid-19 equality strategy to take forward work to develop
policies to tackle health inequalities post covid-19?
I think the hon. Lady is asking for what we are doing at the
moment. That is what we are planning to do and that is what we
will be looking into. On her accusation that the Government
delayed this report, it is simply not true. We asked for a report
for the end of May, and that report was brought before the House
at the first available opportunity, Mr Speaker, which I am sure
you will appreciate.
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
Health inequalities are also related to historical work
conditions and industrial diseases, such as the high rates of
silicosis and chronic bronchitis, as seen among some of my Rother
Valley residents, many of whom are former miners. Does the
Minister agree that these inequalities should be looked at as
well in the context of the covid-19 outbreak?
Yes, as I said before, there are a range of things that we will
need to consider. We want to be evidence-led. I shall raise this
with the various bodies, not just Public Health England, to make
sure that, more than anything else, we are being led by the
science.
(Slough) (Lab)
Almost three quarters of health and social care staff who were
battling this virus on our behalf but who subsequently died as a
result of covid-19 were black, Asian and minority ethnic, so I am
hoping against hope that one of the few positives to take from
this national crisis is that those espousing hatred against
minorities and migrants will now be ignored, and that will lead
to less racism and greater community cohesion. Can the Minister
explain why the Public Health England review failed to mention
the occupational discrimination faced by BAME healthcare staff,
which has been identified by both the British Medical Association
and the Royal College of Nursing?
The hon. Gentleman is right. It goes back to what I said earlier.
Public Health England did not necessarily have the data, because
data is being looked at from different quarters and different
institutions have different data. That data is something that I
really want to see, because I think it will go some way to
explain the gaps, and I will be taking that forward to see
whether we can get the information out.
(Forest of Dean) (Con)
May I draw to my hon. Friend’s attention the information
published this week by the Care Quality Commission on 2 June,
which highlighted the much higher death rate among people with
learning disabilities, both from covid and non-covid causes?
There was a 134% increase over the past year. I ask her to talk
to her Health and Social Care Department colleagues about what
that implies for access to testing for working age people in the
care sector.
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that question. He
raises an interesting point. We are aware that some of the risk
factors associated with poorer outcomes are more prevalent in
certain groups of the population, and that does include people
with learning disabilities, so he is right to raise that, and I
will speak to my colleagues in the Department of Health and
Social Care on that issue again.
(Arundel and South Downs)
(Con)
All lives matter. They matter now and they mattered in March and
April, when many of my constituents could not get a test when
they needed one. Will the Minister talk to her colleagues about
changing the attitude of Public Health England towards working
with the private sector to mobilise testing capacity?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We need all hands on deck on
this issue, and we definitely do not want silo working where
people believe that only the public sector will be able to help
sort the issue. We want them to be working hand in hand with the
private sector. For other key workers—in supermarkets, heavy
goods vehicle drivers and so on—we have seen that the private
sector has done a fantastic job in helping us weather this
crisis, and I would like to see more of that happening within the
health space.
(Stoke-on-Trent Central)
(Con)
The report identifies death rates in the most deprived areas as
being more than double those in the least deprived. Does the
Minister agree that growing capacity in community development is
essential in ensuring equality of opportunity and levelling up in
cities such as Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes, I do agree with my hon. Friend. I do not think there is
anything further to add. Levelling up is a priority for the
Government, and I will never get tired of saying that. It is not
something that I look at just in my equalities role, but also in
my Treasury role, and I look forward to working with her on those
issues.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
In February of this year, Professor Marmot published his review
of health inequalities a decade after his original report. He
made several recommendations, the first being for the creation of
a cross-government, cross-party strategy led by the Prime
Minister to address those health inequalities. Given that
covid-19 has shown how far we are from achieving a fair and equal
country, will the Minister say whether the Government will
incorporate that recommendation as a key part of the recovery
from coronavirus?
I am afraid I am not sure I have seen the specific report that
the hon. Lady is referring to, but if she writes to me, I can
give a much more comprehensive response than at the Dispatch Box.
Without seeing the recommendation she is referring to, I am not
sure I can fully comment, but I look forward to seeing that
letter, and hopefully it will have things that we can include in
there.
