Government responds to Youth Select Committee report on racism and religious discrimination

The Government has responded to the Youth Select Committee report on Racism and Religious Discrimination. 

In their report, the Committee concluded that people’s attitudes towards racism and religious discrimination have become normalised and there is ambiguity surrounding what constitutes such behaviour. The report stressed that the Government needs to do more to define racism and religious discrimination as well as to raise awareness of what these definitions actually mean in practice.

Key points of the Government response include:

• ·         On the YSC's recommendation that PSHE should be a compulsory subject in schools,  the Government notes that the Department for Education is actively considering the case for further action on PSHE, with particular consideration being given to improving quality and accessibility to ensure that provision is high-quality and age-appropriate.
• ·         The Government welcomes Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton and the British Youth Council setting up a national hate crime Independent Advisory Group for young people. They recommend that the Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime should be consulted on this in order to share its expertise.
• ·         The Government is not implementing the recommendation that the Government Equalities Office should have a separate Minister who heads up its work and works exclusively on the Government’s work tackling discrimination, including racism and religious discrimination, and promoting equality and diversity. The Government notes that the current Minister for Women and Equalities and Secretary of State for Education, the RT Hon Justine Greening MP, is responsible for driving forward and championing gender and LGBT equality across Government and, through her responsibility for the wider Equalities framework (including the Equality Act 2010), for working with her Cabinet colleagues to encourage regular and consistent consideration of equalities issues in policy development.

Bronagh Hughes, Chair of the Youth Select Committee said:

“The Youth Select Committee welcomes the Government's swift and comprehensive response to our report published late last year, 'Young People and the Issue of Racism and Religious Discrimination', and is particularly appreciative of the cross departmental nature of the response we have received.

“Whilst we do wish that more of our recommendations could have been supported, we were particularly pleased to read of the Department of Education's consideration of further action on the teaching of PSHE, and the Government's welcome of the establishment of a national hate crime Independent Advisory Group for young people. These are issues that are very important to all members of the Youth Select Committee.”

ENDS

Editors Notes:

1.       For media enquiries: Iana Messetchkova, Senior Media Relations Officer, House of Commons, on 020 7219 0429 ormessetchkovai@parliament.uk; Rhammel Afflick, Communications & Media Officer, British Youth Council, on 0207 250 8376or rhammel.afflick@byc.org.uk  

2.       Read the report of the Youth Select Committee on ‘Young people and the issues of racism and religious discrimination’.

3.       Committee Membership is as follows: Bronagh Hughes, 17, Chair of the Youth Select Committee from Leicester, Elif Emma True, 17, Vice Chair of the Youth Select Committee from Hebburn, Rhys Barnes, 18, Member of Barnet Youth Board from London, Otis Skitch, 17, Member of Youth Parliament for Torbay from Paignton, Opprah Manyika, 19, from Stoke on Trent, Neil Kotre,17, from Newcastle, Namir Rahim Chowdhury, 18, from Walsall, Martin Gallacher, 17, Member of Scottish Youth Parliament for Glasgow Cathcart, Jonathan Quin, 16, Young Mayor of Surrey Heath from Camberley, Brahmpreet Kaur Gulati, 15, Member of Youth Parliament for Leicester and Emily Jones, 14, Caerphilly Youth Forum from Hengoed.

4.       The Youth Select Committee took evidence over 4 oral evidence sessions and received written submissions from 67 contributors. Witnesses included teachers, young people, charities, academics, service providers and the Mayor of Bristol.

5.       The topic of racism and religious discrimination was select as the second out of five in this year’s British Youth Council Make Your Mark poll of 978, 216 young people.