Asked by: Frank McNally (Labour - Coatbridge and Bellshill)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle discrimination against ethnic minorities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are taking steps to tackle discrimination by working across Government to secure a more inclusive future for everyone.
We remain committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting and making the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minorities.
The Race Equality Engagement Group is also working to address key race equality issues including in health, policing and education.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens Rights Survey 2025, published on 1 October 2025, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle discrimination in (a) work and (b) public services against EU citizens living in the UK.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK takes seriously its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement, including those set out in Article 23 on equal treatment of EU citizens and in Article 24 on the rights of workers. EU nationals with a status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are entitled to work in the UK and can access public services subject to relevant criteria depending on the service.
The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides legal protection for the protected characteristic of race, which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins to everyone in the UK, including EU citizens. This means the Act provides protection against unlawful racial or ethnic discrimination in employment and in other areas covered by the Act such as services, transport, education and housing.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to recruitment opportunities for white, working-class boys.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.
Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.
Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action.
The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to training opportunities for white, working-class boys.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.
Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.
Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action.
The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of providing white, working-class boys with access to targeted outreach programmes.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.
Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.
Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action.
The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of providing white, working-class boys with access to vocational training.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.
Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.
Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action.
The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to internship opportunities for white, working-class boys.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.
Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.
Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action.
The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make the teaching workforce more inclusive for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The government is committed to making teaching a profession where all teachers, including those with disabilities, have equal opportunities to progress. This includes designing our world-class programmes such as the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications to support teachers from diverse backgrounds. We expect schools, like all employers, to discharge their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and give due consideration to the way their employment practices affect staff at different stages of their careers.
To this end, we are improving data collection on disability within the teaching profession to better understand their barriers to success. In 2023, the department published a report on barriers to collecting disability data and have since enhanced guidance for schools on the School Workforce Census and conducted additional research via the School and College Panel and the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders Study.
Additionally, the forthcoming Race Equality Act will require public services, including schools, to report data on staffing, pay, and outcomes by disability status, further promoting inclusivity. The department will support schools and multi-academy trusts to meet these requirements when they come into force.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in the Office for Students have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department does not hold this information. The job titles of staff at the Office for Students are a matter for the Office for Students.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in the Education and Skills Funding Agency have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The department does not hold the information requested. The department does not hold information on job titles, as the department’s records are by job grade only.