Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

BAME People in Criminal Justice System

Wednesday 10 February 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Janet Daby questioned the Justice Secretary about discussions on the disproportionate number of BAME people in the criminal justice system.
  • Janet Daby highlighted the lack of diversity in the judiciary as a concern for Government action and community confidence.
  • The Justice Secretary acknowledged the importance of improving diversity in the judiciary for women and BAME individuals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Janet Daby Lab Lewisham East
Justice & Courts
Context

There is a concern about the high representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals within the UK's criminal justice system.

Question

What recent discussions has she had with the Justice Secretary on the disproportionate number of BAME people in the criminal justice system?

Answer from Lucy Frazer

Tackling race disparity in the criminal justice system remains a priority for all Ministers in my Department. We have a broad programme of work to address the issue, including work on the collection of data and the implementation of policies that tackle disproportionality, together with scrutiny and oversight. The criminal justice system race and ethnicity board reviews the progress of this work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify any recent discussions or concrete commitments beyond acknowledging the issue as a priority.

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Q2 Janet Daby Lab Lewisham East
Justice & Courts Women & Equalities
Context

There is zero representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds among Supreme Court judges. This lack of diversity impacts public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Question

A lack of diversity in the judiciary is something that should concern the Government. It is deeply troubling, as it is one of the major reasons that all communities, including black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, lack confidence in the criminal justice system. There are currently zero Supreme Court judges who are from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. Steps need to be taken to fix the justice system so that it is fair and equal for everyone. Will the Government introduce a clear target for a representative judiciary, as called for in the Lammy review?

Answer from Lucy Frazer

The hon. Member raises an important issue in relation to diversity in the judiciary, and it is important to ensure that women and black and ethnic minorities come through the system as lawyers. Indeed, there are a lot of women coming through the system, but we need to improve that as well. From 2014 to 2019, there have been some small improvements in judicial diversity. The proportion of women judges increased from 24% to 32% in the courts and from 43% to 46% in tribunals, and the proportion of BAME judges increased from 6% to 7% in the courts and from 9% to 11% in tribunals, but we need to do more work. The judiciary is independent, and I know that it is very concerned about this issue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to introducing a clear target for judicial diversity despite acknowledging the issue.

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