Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Equalities Policy: Evidence Base

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

  • The Minister launched an equality data project to inform policies with robust evidence.
  • Tom Randall expressed disappointment over comments made by Halima Begum of the Runnymede Trust.
  • The Minister agreed that Begum's comments were appalling and reflective of a narrow view of politics.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tom Randall
Women & Equalities
Context

The question is about ensuring that policies are informed by robust evidence, which is a general query regarding the methodology and approach to policy-making.

Question

What steps she is taking to ensure that her policies are informed by robust evidence.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We can and must have an equality agenda that is driven by evidence, and that is why we have launched an equality data project, which will look at the life paths of individuals across this country and deliver hard data about the barriers that people face.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific steps or measures requested were not detailed.

How: Launched An Equality Data Project

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Tom Randall
Democracy & Elections
Context

During the Christmas break, The Guardian published comments by Halima Begum of the Runnymede Trust suggesting that the government's long-term plan is to work up white nationalism for the next elections. This prompted a question about whether such thinking should have any place in Government policy or discourse.

Question

Over the Christmas break, I was disappointed to read comments in The Guardian by Halima Begum of the Runnymede Trust, who ridiculously claimed: 'I think the government's long-term plan is to work up white nationalism for the next elections'. Does my right hon. Friend agree that not only should that insulting thinking have no place in the setting of Government policy, but it should have no place in mainstream discourse?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

I agree with my hon. Friend—these comments are appalling. They reflect an attitude on the left of politics that says, “If you're not from an oppressed group, you're not entitled to an opinion”, and I think that is fundamentally wrong. I believe that equality is for everyone, and I am not going to let this debate be dominated by a few campaign groups.

Not addressed: The specific question about the comments was avoided in favor of criticizing an opposing viewpoint.

How: Reflects An Attitude On The Left, Let This Debate Be Dominated

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)