Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to commemorate Black History Month in October; which Departments, if any, are supporting specific initiatives to promote a better understanding of the contribution of Black people (1) to the UK, and (2) to the history of the British Isles; and what is the nature of any such initiatives.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Black History Month is an important time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Britons throughout history. Departments across Government will be recognising contemporary and past contributions in a range of ways throughout the month of October.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Equality and Human Rights committees regarding the findings of the Race Disparity Audit; and what are the implications for the funding of that body’s work on race equality.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Race Disparity Audit has been developed through extensive engagement with stakeholder partners, including local Government, public services providers, non-governmental organisations, academics, public bodies and members of the public from across the UK.
The Race Disparity Audit team have regularly engaged Equality and Human Rights Commission colleagues throughout the Audit, including as part of the design, development and testing of the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website. The First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office has met with the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
It is for the EHRC to consider how they align their resources and budget to their priorities. As with any report coming from Government the EHRC will want to consider whether there are implications for their business planning as a result of the Audit and whether resources should be re-directed.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take further to the publication of the Race Disparity Audit commissioned by the Prime Minister.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Government departments remain responsible for considering the implications of the findings of the Race Disparity Audit on their policies and services. A specialist unit in the Cabinet Office will consider and co-ordinate the next steps.
The Government has launched a programme of work to tackle some of the ethnic disparities identified in the Audit. This covers the Department for Work and Pensions taking action in twenty targeted ‘hotspots’, the Ministry of Justice taking forward a number of recommendations made in the recent Lammy Review and the Department for Education taking forward an external review to improve practice in exclusions. Further announcements on future Government work will follow in the coming months.