Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Wednesday 30 November 2022 · 9 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Nia Griffith inquired about the government's actions to address health inequalities in black and ethnic minority populations, to which the Minister referenced a report on covid disparities and ongoing work.
  • Miriam Cates questioned the impact of online pornography on women and girls' safety and the adequacy of the Online Safety Bill, prompting a response that the bill aims to protect women and girls from harmful content.
  • Virendra Sharma requested a meeting to discuss the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's Open Doors campaign with the Minister, who agreed to arrange the meeting.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli
NHS Women & Equalities
Context

A Welsh Government study during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that black and ethnic minorities were affected far worse by health inequalities, not just due to medical reasons but for many social reasons.

Question

What will the Minister do to try to put right the situation where social inequalities lead to health inequalities in the black and ethnic minority population?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

The hon. Lady may not be aware of the extensive, 18-month piece of work that I produced on covid disparities. Some of the things that she mentioned were picked up in that report and the recommendations. One was about the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and that work is ongoing. That body will look at many of the issues that she raised.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions beyond mentioning an existing office's ongoing work.

How: Working With Partners

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Q2 Miriam Cates
Women & Equalities
Context

Government research shows a clear link between viewing violent pornography and violence against women and girls, with more online content depicting gratuitous violence against women. 50% of 12-year-olds have seen such content.

Question

What assessment has my right hon. Friend made of the current and future impact of online pornography on the safety of women and girls, and does she think that the Online Safety Bill goes far enough to prevent children from seeing it?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point, and I agree with her. Protecting women and girls and preventing children from accessing harmful content, such as online pornography, is a priority for the Government. The Online Safety Bill will introduce new protections for women and girls online. Under the Bill, all services will need to proactively remove and prevent users from being exposed to priority illegal content. That includes the appalling illegal content that affects women and girls, such as revenge and extreme pornography.

Answered
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Q3 Anneliese Dodds Labour (Co-op) Oxford East
Women & Equalities
Context

Qatar's poor record on LGBT+ rights, women's rights and the treatment of migrant workers means that it should not have been awarded the World cup. There is no specific advice from the Foreign Office or Government Equalities Office for LGBT+ fans.

Question

Although FIFA's capitulation over the One Love armband has been shameful, the least that our LGBT+ fans could expect from our Government is advice and support when travelling to matches

Answer from David Rutley

Qatar has repeatedly committed that everybody is welcome at the tournament. As colleagues are aware, the Minister with responsibility for sports and equalities—my right hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew)—is in Qatar, and I fully respect his decision to wear the One Love armband.

Not addressed: Did not provide specific advice or support for LGBT+ fans.

How: Changing Subject

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Q4 Dean Russell
Education Women & Equalities
Context

The questioner's supervisor, Sue Bayliss, inspired him to support science, technology, engineering and maths for girls.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend confirm what steps the Government are taking to promote STEM in education and as a career pathway for girls?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

I thank my hon. Friend for all his work in this space. I reassure him that, to increase the uptake of STEM education by women and girls, we are funding programmes such as the advanced mathematics support programme, the advanced maths premium, the stimulating physics network and the inclusion in schools programme. We have seen a 50% increase in the number of women taking higher education STEM courses since 2011.

Answered
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Q5 Apsana Begum Lab Poplar and Limehouse
Crime & Law Enforcement Benefits & Welfare
Context

Request for an emergency domestic abuse fund to support survivors in fleeing abusers without having to choose between ongoing abuse or poverty.

Question

In this cost of living crisis, will the Government commit to an emergency domestic abuse fund——so that all survivors can access help with fleeing an abuser and no one is left choosing between ongoing abuse and violence, or poverty and hunger?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. We have set out the multiple ways in which we are supporting vulnerable people. I am afraid I did not get all of her question, but if she wants to write to me or a Treasury Minister about a more specific issue, we can look into it in more detail.

Not addressed: Did not commit to an emergency domestic abuse fund and avoided specifics.

How: Asking For Clarification, Redirecting

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Q6 Flick Drummond Con
Business & Trade Women & Equalities
Context

Request for update on what the government is doing to support women starting small businesses.

Question

Will the Minister update the House on what the Government are doing to support women starting up small businesses?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

I thank my hon. Friend for her work in this area. It is crucial that we get more women starting up their own businesses. We anticipate that that would bring in £250 billion to the UK economy. The taskforce that we asked Anne Boden to lead will make recommendations to Government in the new year. We know that venture capital is a huge problem stopping women starting a new business: for every pound of venture capital given to a new business, only a penny goes to women, whereas 89p goes to men.

Answered
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Q7 Virendra Sharma Lab
Context

The Equality Act 2010 does not have sufficient legal teeth, leaving responsibility entirely on individuals who have been discriminated against to pursue legal redress.

Question

Will the Minister meet the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to discuss its Open Doors campaign and stop the shame whereby nearly three quarters of guide dog owners have reported an access refusal in the past 12 months?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

I would be absolutely delighted to meet Guide Dogs to talk about the campaign. It is an important stakeholder in the disability sector, and we will make sure that that meeting happens.

Answered
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Q8 Michael Fabricant Con
Culture, Media & Sport Women & Equalities
Context

News reports highlighted between 400 and 500 migrant workers were killed while building stadia for the World Cup in Qatar, raising concerns about LGBT rights.

Question

My right hon. Friend will have seen that up to 500 migrant workers died building stadia in Qatar. Does this not make FIFA's decision more ridiculous? Will she join me in condemning FIFA's support of anti-LGBT policies in Qatar?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch (Minister for Women and Equalities)

My hon. Friend raises an excellent point. Ministers and senior officials have raised concerns about LGBT visitors with Qatari authorities at all levels and will continue engaging on this issue during the World Cup.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address the request to condemn FIFA's support of anti-LGBT policies in Qatar, only committing to continued engagement.

How: Changing Subject

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Q9 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Women & Equalities
Context

Black and ethnic minority students are proportionately higher in further education colleges, but there is a small number of black and ethnic minority lecturers and an even smaller number of college leaders.

Question

The number of black and ethnic minority students is proportionately higher in further education colleges, yet the number of black and ethnic minority lecturers is low and the number of college leaders is tiny. What are the Government doing to address this under-representation?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The hon. Gentleman asks an excellent question. We are working on this issue through the Inclusive Britain strategy, ensuring proper representation of people in the education sector via positive action within the Equality Act.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures or timeline for addressing under-representation, only mentioned ongoing work and strategies.

How: Vague Commitment

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