Public Health England was unable to make any recommendations in its report on BAME people and coronavirus because some of the data needed to do so was not available, a minister has said.
Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, told the Commons she wanted any action the government takes to be driven by evidence, and it was not “easy to go directly from analysis to making recommendations”.
The government-commissioned investigation found that people of Bangladeshi background in England are twice as likely as white Britons to die if they contract Covid-19, and other BAME groups face an increased risk of up to 50%.
The report, published on Tuesday, was quickly criticised for failing to investigate possible reasons for the disparities or make recommendations on how to address them.
Responding to a Commons urgent question on the matter, Badenoch said that while it was important that the government understands the key drivers of these disparities, it was also vital that “we’re not taking action which is not warranted by the evidence”.
Gill Furniss, the shadow women and equalities minister, was one of several politicians to criticise the report for failing to make any recommendations. She asked Badenoch whether she agreed that “it is now time to address underlying socioeconomic inequalities facing BAME communities” and confirm that the government would take action to do so.
Last month Labour urged all employers to risk-assess their workers to give them appropriate work or protection given the higher Covid death rates among black and other minority ethnic groups.
Furniss asked whether the government would be backing that call. “Coronavirus thrives on inequality and there is no more important time to tackle racial injustices in our society to save lives during this crisis. It is now up to the government to take action and show its commitment that black lives matter,” she said.
Badenoch replied: “The PHE did not make recommendations and that’s because they were not able to do so. Some of the data needed is not routinely collected and acquiring this data will be extremely beneficial, and as I said in my response that’s why I’m going to be taking the work forward to fill the gaps in our understanding and review existing policies, develop new ones when needed, off the back of this.”
She added: “This is a review conducted in a short period of time which sets up firm conclusions. As the author of the report said on Tuesday night, there is a great deal of background and detailed information we think will be helpful. It is not easy to go directly from analysis to making recommendations and we need to get the report widely disseminated and discussed before deciding what needs to be done.”
On Wednesday there were Black Lives Matter protests near parliament. Badenoch said: “As a black woman and the equalities minister, it would be odd if I did not comment on the events in the US and protests in London yesterday. Like all right-minded people, regardless of their race, I was profoundly disturbed by the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police.”
She told the Commons that “during these moments of heightened racial tension, we must not pander to anyone who seeks to inflame those tensions. Instead we must work together to improve the lives of people from BME communities.”