Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to conduct equalities impact assessments on its policies.
The Treasury carefully considers the equalities impacts of its fiscal decisions on those with protected characteristics, in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to promoting fairness.
The Treasury has rigorous processes in place to ensure that it complies with its legal requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010. Every policy is different, so the level of work will vary accordingly. What matters is that equality considerations are placed side-by-side with all other pressing circumstances.
In interests of transparency, the Treasury has published an equalities impacts in summary form for tax and welfare measures in Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs). We have also published an Equalities Annex alongside other documentation for the Budget and Spending Review 2021, which provides illustrative examples of what the Treasury is doing for those with protected characteristics.