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Question
Shadow Minister Marsha de Cordova asked when the review of clinical groups in need of support will take place and how the £25 million funding for community champions will be allocated to local authorities.
Minister reply
Minister Kemi Badenoch did not provide specific dates but acknowledged the importance of identifying clinical groups needing support. She stated that the allocation criteria for the community champions scheme would be shared with councils to ensure effective use of funds.
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Question
MP Sukhdev Brah inquired about specific measures being taken to protect elderly ethnic minority residents during the second wave, particularly regarding accommodation and care facilities.
Minister reply
Minister Kemi Badenoch responded that her department was working closely with councils to ensure that public health guidance reaches all high-risk groups, including older members of ethnic minorities. She emphasised the importance of tailored approaches in care settings.
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Question
MP Shabana Mahmood questioned why research on covid-19 and ethnicity was taking so long to produce results and how quickly the Government would act based on those findings.
Minister reply
Minister Kemi Badenoch explained that ongoing studies were essential for a comprehensive understanding of the virus's impact but did not specify timelines. She stressed the commitment to acting swiftly upon new evidence.
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Question
The MP thanked the Minister for her statement and questioned why a national strategy had not been published. She cited research indicating preventable deaths due to higher risks faced by BAME populations and called for structural inequality plans, detailed funding allocations, and publication of equality impact assessments. She also inquired about specific actions taken on occupational risk assessments.
Minister reply
The Minister responded that the Government had already implemented numerous measures since discovering the disproportionate impact, including issuing revised guidance to employers and providing financial support for self-isolation. She defended the lack of segregated policies and highlighted the transparent sharing of information with all communities.
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Question
The MP thanked the Minister and asked about incorporating new clinical evidence into health policy, particularly concerning the clinically extremely vulnerable.
Minister reply
The Minister explained that she works closely with other Departments to ensure comprehensive integration of findings from the race disparity unit and ONS research. She committed to making sure that different parts of Government do not operate in silos.
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Question
The MP thanked the Minister for her statement and raised concerns about frontline care workers, particularly minority ethnic women, who are over-represented in these roles. She questioned why the UK had not matched the Scottish Government's action regarding wage increases for adult social care workers. Additionally, she asked about support for individuals with no recourse to public funds and highlighted the importance of pension credit awareness.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged older people as disproportionately impacted but stressed the need to address all vulnerable groups equally. She noted that significant funding was being directed towards health and social care during the pandemic.
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Question
Congratulates the Minister on a comprehensive report. Points out that among the first 26 doctors to die of covid-19, 25 were from minority ethnic backgrounds. Mentions vitamin D deficiency prevalent across groups suffering disproportionately from the disease. Asks if the Minister will commit to reviewing new evidence on vitamin D and its links to the pandemic.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the issue with ethnic minority doctors dying early in the pandemic due to occupational exposure, leading shifts before protective measures were known. Mentions a SAGE report that found no relationship between vitamin D deficiency and covid-19 risk. States ongoing work is looking at socioeconomic factors, population density, household composition, pre-existing health conditions.
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Question
Welcomes additional funding for community champions announced by the Minister. Asks about terms of reference, membership and programme of work for SAGE sub-group on ethnicity.
Minister reply
Confirms that Emran Mian is leading from within the SAGE sub-group working with the Department. Will provide more information about the sub-group’s terms of reference in writing to the MP. Expresses support for community champions' work and hope that Slough's scheme can access funding through regular process.
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Question
Encourages Carshalton and Wallington residents to volunteer for vaccine trials as per Minister’s statement. Asks about independent experts appointment and mandatory reporting of ethnicity on death certificates.
Minister reply
Explains that recording ethnicity data was identified as a gap, providing a full picture necessary for understanding the pandemic's impact. States that this will help everyone, not just ethnic minority populations.
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Question
References Financial Conduct Authority research showing higher income cuts among BAME communities due to covid-19. Asks about research on economic impacts of such disparities.
Minister reply
Indicates that this falls outside the review's terms but mentions Treasury’s distributional analysis influencing policies for specific groups.
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Question
Compliments Minister for her statement and report. Asks about disproportionately low number of ethnic minority people coming forward to volunteer for NHS vaccine registry.
Minister reply
Points out anti-vaxxer disinformation campaigns impacting participation in trials. Mentions an Opposition MP’s statement regarding cannon fodder, emphasising the importance of trust in health service.
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Question
Welcomes Minister's acknowledgment of disproportionate impact on disabled people from coronavirus. Asks for urgent action against reports of 'do not resuscitate' orders being imposed without consultation.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the Government's commitment to equality and ongoing work in DWP addressing these issues seriously.
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Question
Points out his constituency’s diversity, particularly from Indian subcontinent. Asks if mixing of households is a factor causing higher death rates among ethnic minorities.
Minister reply
Confirms household composition was identified as a factor; additional guidance provided to support multigenerational housing and employers, along with £1.6 billion allocated for local councils.
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Question
Asks about accessibility of communications for deaf and blind people, given repeated calls by all-party parliamentary group on deafness to ensure inclusivity.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the importance of ensuring PPE for lip reading, addressing multiple ways some are affected. Emphasises that separate work done across Government benefits everyone.
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Question
I thank my hon. Friend for her comprehensive statement; I note that she seems to be on a bit of a roll in the Chamber this week. Will she recognise that there remains a paucity of data around health outcomes for LGBT people, perhaps not least in respect of the intersectionality with BAME people in respect of covid? The data deficit was identified in the LGBT action plan. Will she recommit the Government to securing the data, not least by ensuring that future public health surveys record data on all protected characteristics?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right that we are looking across the board, but I just remind him that we are looking at those who have been most disproportionately affected and are most vulnerable. Although we have not found that LGBT groups specifically have been disproportionately affected, we know that they are losing out where healthcare services have been unavailable because they have had to close or provide other services to deal with the pandemic. We are looking to improve that, but the review that I am carrying out looks specifically at vulnerability and disproportionate impact.
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Question
I am glad that information is available in different languages; real language choice provides a clear functional gain, as we know in Wales. However, I am against shifting away from seeing the pandemic as affecting discrete groups. Will the Minister commit the Government to continuing and extending economic support as further evidence reveals the groups who have been hardest hit?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is right to speak of making sure that people have access to all the information available. Much of the work that we have been doing has been with PHE, which looks mainly at England, but I will find out what information I can provide about the work that is being done in Wales. The Government are looking to ensure that everybody has access to the information, and we are working with the devolved nations to make sure that they have examples of the best practice that is happening across the board.
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Question
I thank my hon. Friend for her statement, which highlights a whole range of factors that are distributed right across the country. We know and understand the cost of covid to a certain extent, but there is also the cost of the lockdown. National figures, for example, show reduced GP appointments, cancer screening and hip operations. Will my hon. Friend commit to working with ministerial colleagues to produce a constituency by constituency covid lockdown health impact assessment, because in order to represent our constituents we have to have that local data?
Minister reply
That is an interesting suggestion. I believe that information like that exists. I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the issue further, to understand exactly what it is that he is looking for and see if we can do something to produce information like that.
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Question
With data showing that only one in 10 lower earners can work from home and that 69% of low earners are women, women have clearly started this crisis from a position of economic disadvantage. In many areas they have led the fight against coronavirus, but millions of women are stuck in low-paid and insecure jobs. Why, then, according to Business in the Community, have the Government chosen to exempt companies from having to file any gender pay gap data this year, resulting in only half of businesses actually doing so?
Minister reply
The reason we suspended gender pay gap reporting is that it was right in the middle of the pandemic and we wanted to reduce burdens on businesses that were facing an unprecedented situation. We were not going to put any additional burdens on them. Companies that are able to do so can continue to carry out their gender pay gap reporting, but I remind the hon. Gentleman that this review is about those who are affected most disproportionately medically, and at the moment that is actually men, not women.
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Question
I very much commend my hon. Friend on her statement. The educational attainment of white working-class boys is among the lowest, and that has only been exacerbated by the effects of covid-19 and their not being able to be in school. What discussions has she had with our right hon. Friend the Education Secretary to ensure that any child from any background can achieve and will not be left behind, for the future wellbeing of our country?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right to allude to the importance to children and young people of being in school. The Government have been very clear that limiting attendance at school should be a last resort, even in areas where the local alert level is high or very high. We have been providing laptops to the most disadvantaged pupils, and 4G routers to families who do not already have mobile or broadband, for example. In the unlikely event that certain schools will need to reduce attendance, we are also helping them to deliver quality remote education. More broadly, on ethnic disparities and attainment, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, announced by the Prime Minister in June, will look at outcomes for the whole population, and it is looking specifically at education.
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Question
I hope that the Minister has also been liaising with my constituency colleague, the Minister for Health in Wales, Vaughan Gething, on the work he has been doing on these issues. He was one of the first to identify them, set up a taskforce and put in place measures to address what he said in his recent statement was a very clear adverse and disproportionate impact on people from BAME communities. The evidence from the UK Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre has shown consistently throughout the crisis that, compared with the general population, a higher frequency than expected of patients from BAME backgrounds have required critical care. The latest figure is over 30% in the past few weeks, which is very disproportionate compared with the wider population. Why does the Minister think that is happening, and is she incorporating that important research into the evidence that the Government are looking at?
Minister reply
We have been considering the factors of occupational exposure and comorbidities, but we have not finished looking at the research; there are so many research projects out there that are trying to find out exactly what is causing severeness in criticality of infection, for example. I think that the RDU has looked at that. We have taken information from across the board, across lots of universities, researchers and the ONS, and I believe that that has been fed in. If it has not, we can look to do that in the next quarter.
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Question
Our BAME communities face a medical risk not only from covid but from the fallout from other health conditions. Does my hon. Friend agree that we should encourage the BAME community to access the treatments that are available to them, such as cancer treatment, because those are important for their health?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We must reduce fear and build confidence among ethnic minority people in engaging with NHS services. Phase 3 of the NHS covid-19 response is taking urgent action to reduce health inequalities and regularly assess progress. NHS trusts are encouraged to restore services inclusively, so that they are used by those in greatest need. Covid wards and spaces are being separated, which should give people confidence to return and allow more routine procedures to continue.
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Question
The Minister mentioned further research. One area where there is very specific and clear research is pregnancy. The UK obstetric surveillance system showed that black pregnant women were eight times more likely to be hospitalised than white pregnant women due to covid, and half of all pregnant women in hospital due to covid are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. That research came out in May and June this year. Will she update us on what is being done to protect black pregnant women from the risks of covid and whether there will be an investigation into that specific issue?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Lady for that question. I co-hosted a roundtable on maternal mortality rates for ethnic minority women with the Minister for Patient Safety, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention on 2 September, to develop appropriate solutions to benefit pregnant women and their babies during this period. Given that covid-19 has fundamentally changed the way that women access maternity services, the national maternity safety champion and chief midwifery officer for England published a four-point plan for all maternity services in England to follow. That includes increasing support for at-risk pregnant women, reaching out to and reassuring pregnant ethnic minority women with tailored communications, ensuring that hospitals discuss vitamin supplements and nutrition in pregnancy with all women, and ensuring that all providers record on maternity information systems the ethnicity of every woman, as well as other risk factors.
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Question
I welcome the appointment of independent experts on covid-19 and ethnicity, such as Wycombe resident Dr Raghib Ali. What main risk factors has my hon. Friend identified, working with them, to explain why BAME communities are so disproportionately affected? Will she take steps to make those risks more apparent to the individuals affected?
Minister reply
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Ali and Professor Neal, specialist epidemiologists and health technology advisers who are experts on covid-19 and ethnicity. I am appointing them to provide medical expertise as critical friends, not just people to agree with everything that we say over the coming months. On the risk factors, analysis from the ONS, PHE and academia reveal that differences in covid-19 mortality between ethnic groups were strongly associated with geographical and socioeconomic factors.
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Question
Data shows that nearly a third of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care since September are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Does the Minister recognise this failure?
Minister reply
No, I do not recognise that statement. In fact, I have had meetings with Dr Nagpaul, and we have had many discussions about further recommendations that he has given directly to me, which we have taken forward.
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Question
People over 70 are said to be 80 times more likely to be affected by COVID-19. What measures are the Government taking to protect people who are 70 or older?
Minister reply
I might have misspoken. It might have been that people over 80 are 70 times more likely. I need to make sure I am getting the statistics right. The Government take this extremely seriously and we have made sure that people have the guidance on what to do, depending on their individual risk profile.
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Question
Women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Will the Minister be advocating for specific targeted economic support for women to address structural inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19?
Minister reply
The approach that the Government Equalities Office is taking is that support has to be given in the round. We are not isolated as individuals and we are certainly not segregating.
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Question
Will she ensure that community champions are prioritised for tier 3 areas such as Lancashire, to make sure we can make the most of getting transmission rates down?
Minister reply
Evidence shows that Government COVID-19 guidance is not reaching certain communities or audiences who are being disproportionately impacted. We are providing up to £25 million to local authorities and voluntary/community sectors to improve the reach of official public health guidance.
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Question
Will she press her Government colleagues to recognise the vital need to address poverty that compounds disadvantage through ethnicity, disability, etc., and argue for retention of the universal credit uplift?
Minister reply
I know my right hon. Friends have spoken about this specific issue many times in this Chamber. Poverty, deprivation, and various factors contribute to health inequalities. The Government are committed to addressing these issues across Government.
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Question
What steps is she taking to improve public health communication, especially to those communities that are normally harder to reach?
Minister reply
We have worked with the Cabinet Office and ministerial colleagues to build on the way public health messages are delivered effectively to ethnic minority people. We spent approximately £4 million to reach ethnic minority people through tailored messaging.
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Question
Will she commit to meeting me and Ranjith’s family to discuss how we can ensure that this scheme is extended?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and share the deep sympathy he has for the suffering of his constituents. I will write to him on the issue if he writes to me.
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Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that if we are to tackle this virus effectively, it is essential that we understand the key drivers of its disproportionate impact?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for her question and re-emphasise that we should not jump to conclusions—we need to know why. If we misdiagnose, we are not able to solve the problem.
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Question
Will the Minister assure me and my constituents that from now on research projects and clinical trials will have appropriate numbers of people from black and minority communities reflecting their higher risk?
Minister reply
I agree with the hon. Lady; we need to get as many people from all communities represented, but we cannot force people; we need to encourage them.
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Question
Can she share further details as to why the measures are not targeted specifically at ethnic minorities and what that means for her constituents in Wales?
Minister reply
I know my hon. Friend is a real champion for communities in Ynys Môn. The current evidence shows that there is a range of factors, which affect the whole population regardless of race.
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Question
Asks the Minister to comment on why more than 70% of all NHS and care deaths during the first wave of covid were among BAME communities, inquiring about actions taken with Health and Social Care.
Minister reply
95% of ethnic minority workers have had risk assessments done. The government is tackling structural issues like over-representation in lower-paid parts of the NHS.
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Question
Asks about a Lancet paper concerning ethnicity impact on clinical outcomes in COVID-19, urging for more evidence and research.
Minister reply
The minister will ask her colleagues to see whether they can have a road map.
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Question
Questions the Minister about disparity in employment terms for cleaners, facilities management staff, security staff working in Government buildings who are from BAME backgrounds.
Minister reply
The government is providing money to those people who have to self-isolate. They also provided employer risk guidance.
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Question
Compliments the Minister for tackling difficult issues and asks if it is the duty of every MP to work with their communities as leaders, encouraging participation in important trials.
Minister reply
Agrees that Members should be working together on this issue.
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Question
Discusses the Minister's letter and communication efforts with BAME communities, highlighting specific examples of media coverage and financial support.
Minister reply
We have published public health messages in over 600 publications. The minister will find out why the MP has not received a letter.
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Question
Inquires about potential financial assistance for BSC Multicultural Services, which supports multiple nationalities and provides food parcels to those in need.
Minister reply
The Government have committed £750 million package of support specifically for charities, social enterprises and the voluntary sector.
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Question
Discusses higher prevalence of and mortality from disease in areas of high deprivation with disabled people accounting for nearly 60% of all deaths between March and July.
Minister reply
The Government are making sure support is available at both national level through support schemes, but also through local authorities.
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Question
Asks about the importance of using science to determine individual risk as a way to help people make informed decisions.
Minister reply
Agrees that everything done in the Equality Hub is evidence-led.
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Question
When will we have data-based evidence as to the causes of heightened risk among black and ethnic minority people from covid? Specifically, are the Government using artificial intelligence techniques to correlate different factors so that we know why this is happening in our black communities?
Minister reply
The Minister disagrees with the MP's assertion. She believes they have answered the question by identifying various factors such as household size, population density, geographic and socioeconomic factors impacting certain groups disproportionately. The Minister noted that when comorbidities are taken into account for specific groups like Bangladeshi women and white women, disparities disappear. She emphasised that their approach is based on scientific evidence rather than politics.