Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make it her policy to update the Government’s guidance on positive action; and if she will make a statement.

Both the Government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have issued guidance - including in EHRC Statutory Codes - on how employers, service providers and other organisations can use positive action measures in a proportionate way, to address under-representation, disadvantage or low participation in activities by people with specific protected characteristics.

The guidance can be found at the following links: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/equality-act-codes-practice for the EHRC Statutory Codes and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85014/positive-action-recruitment.pdf & https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85015/positive-action-practical-guide.pdf for Government Quick Start Guides.

The Government keeps the Equality Act 2010 and its related guidance under review; however, we have no current plans to revise the guidance on positive action.