Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many equality impact assessments have been carried out in the last three years on public service reforms which impact on (a) departmental staff and (b) members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

In line with the government’s legal responsibilities and policy commitment to promote fairness, the Treasury and other Government departments fully comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), and consider the equality impacts of policy measures on those sharing protected characteristics. When working on policy, including at fiscal events, Ministers are advised of the impact a decision has on protected groups and this is taken into account when a policy decision is made.

However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an equality impact assessment.