Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the report of the Runnymede Trust and Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation entitled Dear Stephen: Race and belonging 30 years on, published in April 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the impact on her Department's policies of that report's findings.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The report ‘Dear Stephen: Race and belonging 30 years on’ concludes that we have made ‘considerable progress on the path to achieving racial equality’ since the tragic death of Stephen Lawrence, although there is still more to be done. This is similar to the conclusions reached by the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
Our response to the Commission’s work, Inclusive Britain, was published in March 2022 and sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle unjust disparities across education, employment, health and criminal justice. Earlier this month the government published a report to Parliament on the substantial progress we have made in delivering this action plan, with 32 of the 74 actions now completed, and how this work is making a real difference to people’s lives.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government plans to consult with victims and survivors of abuse as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny for the proposed ban on sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of conversion practices, including victims and survivors. This has helped to inform our approach to banning conversion practices, which will be published in a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by joint committee in this parliamentary session. Pre-legislative scrutiny will allow for in-depth analysis and challenge to test the policy and drafting. It will also give stakeholders and parliamentarians a further opportunity to input their experience and expertise and build stronger consensus ahead of introducing the legislation in Parliament.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant women arrived in the UK by small boat in 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee recently asked a similar question and the response to that is currently under consideration by Ministers. That response will be given to Parliament shortly.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many recommendations of the Final report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities, published by the Minister for Equalities on 3 December 2021, have been implemented in full.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
When the Minister for Women and Equalities published Inclusive Britain, our ground-breaking strategy for tackling ethnic disparities, she committed to reporting back to Parliament on progress. We will publish the update report shortly, outlining progress against all 74 actions.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Inclusive Equal Rights UK 3.0 A Snapshot View of Racial Disparity in the City of York, published on 28 February; and what steps they are taking to address reports of inequalities experienced by ethnic minority communities.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Inclusive Equal Rights report provides some interesting insights into racial disparities in York, although this is just a snapshot, as the report acknowledges, and does not analyse the causes of these disparities.
The government is taking steps to address negative ethnic disparities through the ground-breaking Inclusive Britain action plan. Published in March 2022 in response to the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, Inclusive Britain sets out 74 actions designed to tackle disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all.
The Minister for Women and Equalities has committed to reporting back to Parliament on progress with the action plan after 12 months, and will do so shortly.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities entitled Inclusive Britain, how many of that reports recommendations (a) have been actioned, (b) will be actioned by the end of 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Inclusive Britain, the government’s response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle persistent, negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all.
The Minister for Women and Equalities will report back to Parliament shortly on progress in Inclusive Britain with each of the actions, including how many have been completed and how many we intend to complete over the next 12 months.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings the Scotland Office had with the Scottish Government on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland Bill) prior to the Section 35 order being invoked.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government raised a number of concerns relating to the impact of the Scottish Government’s proposals with the Scottish Government, in advance of the legislation passing in the Scottish Parliament. UK government officials engaged with their Scottish counterparts through the Bill’s passage. The Minister for Women and Equalities wrote to and met with the Cabinet Secretary while the Bill was still in the Scottish Parliament, outlining her concerns with the GRR Bill as it stood. It is now for the Scottish Government to bring forward a bill that addresses the adverse effects as set out in the Statement of Reasons. The Scotland Act 1998 specifically provides for a reconsideration stage in the Scottish Parliament for these circumstances.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of potential trends in levels of poverty among women born in the 1950s in the context of the increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Changes to State Pension age were made over a series of Acts by successive governments from 1995 onwards, following public consultations and extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. The current state pension age is 66 for men and women. Since 1994/95, rates of female pensioners in poverty have fallen by a larger amount than for male pensioners over the same period. Reforms to the State Pension have put measures in place to improve State Pension outcomes for most women. Over three million women stand to receive an average of £550 more per year by 2030 because of the recent reforms. Pension Credit provides a safety net for those pensioners who have been unable, for whatever reason, to make provision for their retirement.
All benefit rates and State Pensions will increase in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the year to September 2022. This will mean that, subject to parliamentary approval, they will increase by 10.1% in April. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1% subject to parliamentary approval.
In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to over eight million pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister last (1) visited the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, and (2) addressed the Pan-African Parliament in Pretoria; and on how many occasions in the last three years ministers have made such visits.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK enjoys a strong relationship with the African Union (AU), collaborating effectively across a range of shared priorities such as peace and security, climate change, women and girls, food security, health and trade. The UK maintains regular ministerial engagement with counterparts in the AU and its institutions. The former Minister for Development, Rt Hon. Vicky Ford MP, visited the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa most recently on 20 October 2022, where she met the AU's Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS). We look forward to more high-level engagement with the African Union in 2023.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have spent in discussions with representatives of the Scottish government on the potential cross-border issues relating to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Minister for Women and Equalities wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Shona Robison MSP, while the Bill was still in the Scottish Parliament, outlining her concerns with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill as it stood. They also met to discuss the UK Government’s concerns. UK Government officials have had regular meetings with Scottish Government counterparts since the Gender Recognition Reform Bill’s introduction in the Scottish Parliament.
Ministers and officials in my Department conduct regular engagement with the Scottish Government on a range of matters, including legislation, Scotland Act Orders, and other policy matters.