Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: BAME Communities

Wednesday 13 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chi Onwurah questioned the Minister about steps taken to address the disproportionate effect of the covid-19 outbreak on BAME communities.
  • The Minister stated that the report concluded socioeconomic and geographical factors, not ethnicity itself, largely explain disparities.
  • The Minister clarified that the report did not suggest a lack of data on ethnicity, but rather that there is no evidence for structural or institutional racism affecting infection rates.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
NHS
Context

The questioner raises concerns about the impact of the pandemic on specific ethnic groups. The initial report by Kemi Badenoch's department suggested that socioeconomic factors were more influential than ethnicity in explaining disparities.

Question

What steps has her Department taken to help tackle the disproportionate effect of the covid-19 outbreak on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

My first report concluded that there is no evidence suggesting ethnicity itself is a risk factor. Instead, socioeconomic and geographical factors largely explain disparities. The report outlined measures targeting those risk factors which are being implemented across Government. We work with stakeholders like the British Medical Association and Community Advisory Group.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about ensuring ethnicity data collection is not directly addressed.

How: Encouraged Re-Reading Of The Report, Claimed Misunderstanding

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Q2 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
NHS
Context

The questioner challenges the initial report's claim about data collection on ethnicity. She seeks clarity on whether data is being collected to monitor the impact of the pandemic on specific ethnic groups.

Question

The disparities impact report did not say that race was not a factor. What it actually said was that data were not being collected. Has the Minister ensured that ethnicity data, including test-taking, positive tests, vaccinations and deaths at a national and regional level, are being collected to enable robust monitoring of the impacts of covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

I am afraid that the hon. Lady seems to have completely misunderstood the report. I encourage her to re-read it. There is no evidence to suggest structural or institutional racism causes higher infection rates for ethnic minorities. Data from Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre shows improvements in critical illness percentages and deaths for these groups compared to the first wave.

Not addressed: The specific ask about data collection was not addressed.

How: Claimed Misunderstanding, Challenged Political Motives

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