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The Equality Strategy – Building a Fairer Britain December 2010 |
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The Equality Strategy –
Building a Fairer Britain December 2010 The Equality Strategy - Building a Fairer Britain Contents Foreword
by the Minister for Women and Equalities 5 Introduction
6 Section
1: Early years, education and social mobility 11 Section
2: A fair and flexible labour market 14 Section
3: Opening up public services and empowering individuals and communities 18 Section
4: Changing culture and attitudes 20 Section
5: Making it happen 23 References
25 |
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Foreword by the Minister for Women and Equalities
This strategy is built on two principles
of equality: equal treatment and equal opportunity. As a country we have come
a long way in the last fifty years: from the Equal Pay Act in 1970 to Civil
Partnership Legislation in 2004; we are a more diverse and tolerant country,
and we should be proud of that fact. But the reality remains that despite
more and more legislation from government, too many people’s life chances
still depend on who they are or where they come from, not their effort or
ability. This strategy sets out a new approach to
equality. One that recognises that we still need specific action to deal with
specific problems, but that we need to move beyond defining people simply
because they’ve ticked a box on a form. We will work with people, communities
and businesses to empower them to enact change. We will take a new approach
by tackling the causes of inequality as well as using targeted action to deal
with its consequences. We will ensure accountability by shining the light of
transparency on organisations, allowing their performance to be challenged
and acting as a driver for change. Equality is key to all our work. That is
why I have set up an inter-ministerial group to ensure that we continue to
drive work to support this strategy across government, working closely with
all those involved: this strategy is just the start of this work. Equality underpins this coalition’s
guiding principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility. But in the end,
it will take all of us working together to build the strong, modern and fair
Britain that we all want to see.
Theresa
May Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities |
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Introduction In our Coalition Agreement, this
government committed to work together to tear down the barriers to social
mobility and equal opportunities in Britain, and build a
fairer society. No one should be held back because of who they are or their
background. But, equally, no-one should be defined simply by these
characteristics. We want a society where people are recognised for who they
are and what they achieve, not where they are from. We have some of the strongest equality
legislation in Europe. Britain today is a far more diverse and tolerant
society than it was a generation ago. That is something to be proud of. But
legislation will only get us so far. New legislation and increased regulation
have produced diminishing returns, and in recent years progress on equality
has stalled and, in some areas, begun to reverse. Too often the word
‘equality’ has been misused and misunderstood because it has come to mean
political correctness, social engineering, form filling and box ticking. That
is why we are scrapping the last administration’s socioeconomic duty. This strategy sets out a new approach to
equalities, moving away from the identity politics of the past and to an
approach recognising people’s individuality. And it sets out a new role for
government, moving beyond simply introducing more legislation, to promoting
equality through transparency and behaviour change. Government will act as a
catalyst and advocate for change, working with businesses, the voluntary
sector and wider civil society to create equal opportunities. What we mean by equality Equality can mean many different things to
many different people. This strategy focuses on two principles of equality:
equal treatment and equal opportunity. It is not right or fair that people are
discriminated against because of who they are or what they believe. So, we
need to stop that discrimination and change behaviour. And it is not right or fair that the
opportunities open to people are not based on their ambition, ability or hard
work, but on who their parents are or where they live. So
we need to break down the barriers that hold people back and give them the
opportunities to succeed. Equality today Ensuring everyone has the right to
equality is a fundamental duty of any government and on this the UK has a
record to be proud of. We have some of the strongest equality legislation in
Europe, from the first Race Relations Act in 1965 and the Equal Pay Act in
1970 to the introduction of civil partnerships. But while legislation has helped to
enshrine people’s rights in law, more than legislation is needed to change
people’s attitudes or behaviour to ensure those rights are not abused: • Decades after equal pay laws were passed,
women are paid over 12 per cent less than men across a range of sectors,
increasing to 22 per cent when part-time workers are included1. The factors behind the gender pay gap
are complex. Outdated expectations of women’s jobs and family roles,
occupational segregation and traditional approaches to job design, coupled
with a lack of flexibility in our systems of maternity and paternity pay and
difficulties in finding flexible childcare, all contribute. • Some ethnic groups have unemployment rates
three times higher than white men.2 Muslim men have the lowest employment rates compared with those of
other major faiths or no faith.3 • Children who are perceived as ‘different’,
such as disabled children, experience more bullying than others.4 • Over 70 homicides in England and Wales
between 2007 and 2008, and 2009 and 2010 were charged as resulting from
racially or religiously aggravated, transphobic or homophobic or
disability-related hate crimes.5 • Despite disability discrimination
legislation, around a third of disabled people experience difficulties in
accessing goods or services, including health services. The employment rate
of disabled people in Great Britain is far lower than the overall working-age
population: 48.4 per cent compared to 72.2 per cent. Within that, some groups
face even greater barriers to work, for example only 6.4 per cent of adults
with learning disabilities who use social services are in work.6 We cannot tackle those issues simply by
passing more legislation. The gradual evolution of equality law led
to a ‘strand-based’ approach to equality with different laws to protect
different groups. Putting people into different categories
simply because they ticked a box on a form ignores their needs as an
individual. At the same time, some people have been made to feel as if
equality is not for them. If legislation has been seen to be the
route to equal treatment, money has often been seen as the solution to
equality of opportunity. However, despite billions of pounds of government
spending, many opportunities remain closed to the disadvantaged: • The chances for children in lower income
families of being socially mobile are lower in the UK than most international
counterparts. By the age of seven, children with a higher social class
background, but low assessed ability, overtake those from a lower social
class background with high ability.7 • People are living longer, but men and
women in the highest socio-economic group can expect to live up to seven
years longer than those in the lower socio-economic groups.8 Although infant mortality rates are at their lowest ever, black
Caribbean and Pakistani babies are twice as likely to die in their first year
than Bangladeshi or white British babies.9 • Persistent inequalities exist for some
groups. For example, under 10 per cent of Gypsy and Traveller pupils attain
five GCSEs or equivalent at A*-C grades including English and maths compared
with over 50 per cent for the average population.10 • Black Caribbean pupils are three times
more likely to be permanently excluded than the school population as a whole.11 Why equality matters These inequalities matter to all of us.
Failure to tackle discrimination and to provide equal opportunities, harms
individuals, weakens our society and costs our economy. For example: • the National Audit Office estimated that
the overall cost to the economy from failure to fully use the talents of
people from ethnic minorities could be around £8.6 billion annually;12 • the Women and Work Commission estimated
the total potential benefits of increasing women’s employment and tackling
occupational gender segregation could be worth about £15 billion to £23
billion to the economy each year;13 • the economic cost of violence against
women in the UK is estimated to be £37.6 billion annually.14 At a time of global economic pressures,
equality becomes more, not less, important. We are committed to tackling
Britain’s record deficit now, so that the next generation does not have to
pay for the mistakes of this generation, and we will protect and safeguard
those services that are crucial to individuals’ life chances. We want a fair society where every child
has the opportunity to progress as far as their talents will take them, not
one in which people’s chances are driven by where they come from, how others
see them, or who their parents are. We need a labour market that draws on the
talents of all, not one in which people are written off because of outdated
perceptions. Our democratic structures and communities are stronger and more
effective if all voices are included, and everyone has the chance to shape
and influence the decisions that affect them. A new approach This government has already taken steps to
implement most of the Equality Act 2010 which simplifies the legislative
framework, including those new provisions that will make a real difference
and scrapping those, like the last administration’s bureaucratic
‘socio-economic duty’ that create more bureaucracy, not greater equality. We
will continue to make targeted interventions where there is clear evidence
that legislation is needed. But while legislation has made a difference in
the past, it is not a panacea for the continuing gaps in equality that we
face. This strategy sets out the Government’s
new approach to tackling inequality: one that moves away from treating people
as groups or ‘equality strands’ and instead recognises that we are a nation
of 62 million individuals. Government will work with employers,
employees and wider society as an advocate for change, instead of dictating
what the right approach should be through rules and regulations. Many businesses
are already ahead of government with policies that have pre-empted
legislation and, in some areas, gone further than the law requires; and many
voluntary sector bodies already have deep insight into the underlying causes
and symptoms of inequality and how to work with individuals to address them. We will support
people to make the right choices, help to create equal opportunities and use
transparency to drive accountability. Legislation is only part of this
approach. While our priority for government spending
is to deal with the UK’s record deficit, ensuring future economic growth and
prosperity, we recognise that money does matter when it comes to equality. But it is not in itself a
solution. For money to make a real difference it must be targeted at the
right places. Crucially, rather than simply dealing with the consequences of
inequality, money must be targeted at dealing with the causes of inequality
and the barriers to social mobility. Over the course of this spending period,
despite the difficult decisions that have had to be taken, we have
prioritised and will continue to prioritise interventions that will advance
equality of opportunity and make the greatest difference to people’s lives. Principles for change Our approach will be based on five,
related, supporting principles: • Creating
equal opportunities for all: moving from looking at solutions geared to special treatment for
‘groups’ to developing frameworks that help create fairness and opportunities
for everyone by, for example, extending the right to request flexible working
to all, and not simply those with caring responsibilities. Equal treatment
and equal opportunities for all does not mean uniformity – it means giving
everyone an equal right to be treated fairly as an individual, recognising
both their needs and their talents and giving them an equal opportunity to
progress. • Devolving
power to people: supporting
everyone to participate in our democratic structures and communities, to
access the services they need and shape their own lives. Instead of top-down
targets we will devolve power, free up businesses, public services, the
voluntary sector, communities and citizens to develop solutions, and promote
good practice. • Transparency:
shining a light on
inequalities and giving individuals and local communities the tools and
information, they need to challenge organisations that are not offering fair
opportunities, and public services that are not delivering effectively for
all the people they serve. The reshaped public sector Equality Duty will
require public bodies to publish more information on equality than before,
and demonstrate how they are delivering improvement, replacing bureaucratic
accountability with democratic accountability. • Supporting
social action: giving the
voluntary sector and public sector professionals the freedom to work together
to innovate and drive effective measures which build a more inclusive and
cohesive society based on tolerance and respect for all. We will support and
promote programmes which work effectively across social divides. For
example, the National Citizen Service will bring together 16-year-olds from
different backgrounds and around the country to become community volunteers
and join in outdoor pursuits. • Embedding
equality: leading by
example and embedding equality in everything we do in government as an
integral part of our policies and programmes. We have made a start with the
first-ever Ministerial Group on Equalities. This strategy sets out how government will
work with businesses, local communities, public services, the voluntary
sector and others to drive real and sustainable change, and build a fairer
society and stronger economy. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list
of all the work across government on equalities, but a strategic framework
that sets out this government’s new approach. We will continue our dialogue
with organisations and the public and publish a report in a year’s time
setting out what we have achieved and how we have built on what we have
already achieved. This strategy sets out the UK Government’s
commitment to tackling the barriers to equal opportunities and social
mobility. It sets the framework for how equality will be a fundamental part
of the Government’s programmes across the UK. Some policies that are set out
in this strategy will apply across the UK, some to Great Britain only, some
to England and Wales and some to England only, depending on the topic. The legislative foundation, in the form of
the Equality Act 2010, applies broadly to
Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own equality legislation. Within this framework, responsibility for
delivery of many public services which are important to achieving greater
equality is devolved. However, there are also many areas where responsibility
is reserved. The detailed actions in this strategy will therefore be
delivered in a manner that is appropriate to the division of responsibilities
across the United Kingdom. |
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Section
1: Early years, education and social mobility Aim: tackle deprivation and
inequalities relating to family background, and improve social mobility. A
child’s early years and education have a profound influence on their life
chances. But research shows that even by the time they start their first day
at school, bright children from poor backgrounds have fallen behind children
from affluent homes. Simply spending more money has not closed down the gap.
Sure, Start has made an important difference to families, but we want to
focus it more effectively to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
families. Extra spending on education has gone hand in hand with more red
tape and bureaucracy, leaving teachers with less time to focus on raising
standards. And instead of helping people move out of poverty, our benefits
system has trapped too many families and children in welfare dependency. Increasing
opportunity is not just about investing more money in public services.
Parents have a huge role to play in ensuring their children get the best
start. We need to strengthen communities, promote social capital and social
mobility and ensure children develop the skills that they will need to get on
in life. Action Early years Young
children and families from the poorest backgrounds are often isolated and
lack effective networks to support them in accessing opportunities. Services
that work alongside, support and befriend struggling families can have a
powerful effect. We will: •
promote
the creation of new community-led public services, learning from
organisations such as the National Childbirth Trust which works with single,
teenage mothers to spread knowledge and good practice; •
fund
an additional 4,200 health visitors to support families with young children; •
extend
free early years education to all disadvantaged 2-year-olds from 2013; •
take
Sure Start back to its original purpose of improving the life chances of
disadvantaged children. Sure, start services will target early intervention
on the most disadvantaged or at-risk young families; and •
consider
the recommendations of Graham Allen’s Review of Early Intervention whose
interim report is due in January 2011. Schools and young people Schools will receive increased funding for pupils from a deprived
background and decide how best to use the funding for pupils, as they are
best placed to understand their pupils’ needs. We will: •
introduce
a Pupil Premium from 2011–2012 to enable the poorest children to receive the
support they need to reach their potential and incentivise good schools to
take on pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The Pupil Premium will
provide additional funding, worth £2.5 billion by 2014–2015 and be allocated
entirely to schools; •
be
transparent in accounting for the Pupil Premium, with schools reporting to
parents how they have used the Pupil Premium so parents can hold the schools
to account; •
ensure
school leaders have the freedom to innovate, the powers to maintain
discipline fairly and are encouraged to share with other schools what they
have learned in addressing the causes of inequality; •
support
schools with the latest research, including into the underlying issues
associated with the higher rate of exclusions of African Caribbean boys; •
establish
an Education Endowment Fund, to fund bold and innovative ways to raise the
attainment of disadvantaged pupils in underperforming schools, in response to
bids from schools, local authorities, parents, voluntary and community sector
organisations, charities and social enterprises; •
set
up a new Ministerial Working Group to drive action across government to
tackle the wide range of inequalities and poor social outcomes experienced by
Gypsies and Travellers. Forty-eight local authorities are already offering
targeted support to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils; •
set
out next steps for Special Education Needs (SEN) and Disabilities, including
early identification and assessment, funding, family support and school
choice, in a Green Paper to be published at the end of 2010; and •
support
young people’s transitions to adulthood by raising the participation age in
education to 18 by 2015, providing opportunities for volunteering and
personal and social development through National Citizen Service, and
targeted support for vulnerable young people through the Early Intervention
Grant. The fairness premium also includes a new £150 million National
Scholarship fund to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. [Note: we set out what we are doing to
address bullying in schools in Section 4.] Poverty, work and social mobility We
are committed to the aspiration of ending child poverty in the UK by 2020 as
set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and will publish a child poverty
strategy next spring. This will include a breakdown of the children with the
highest risks of poverty and disadvantage, including some ethnic minorities;
asylum seekers and refugees; disabled children and children in families with
a disabled sibling or parent; and children of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller
families. •
The
Government has appointed Frank Field MP to lead an independent review into
poverty and life chances. The review will explore how a child’s home
environment affects their chances of being ready to take full advantage of
their schooling and recommend potential action by government and other
institutions to reduce poverty and enhance life chances for the least
advantaged, consistent with the Government’s fiscal strategy; and to examine
the case for reforms to the poverty measures. •
We
have exempted the lowest paid public sector workers from the pay freeze and
next April we will take 880,000 of the lowest paid workers out of income tax
altogether. •
In
the meantime, above-inflation increases in the Child Tax Credit will ensure
that the measures to tackle the deficit in the Emergency Budget and Spending
Review will not lead to any measurable increase in child poverty over the
next two years. •
Unlocking
social mobility is at the heart of the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime
Minister has set up an informal Ministerial group on social mobility to
ensure cross-government commitment and action: •
Alan
Milburn has been appointed as Independent Reviewer on social mobility and he
will undertake an annual review of the effectiveness of the Government’s
actions and the contributions made by wider society, including employers and
community organisations; and •
we
will publish a social mobility strategy by February 2011. |
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Section
2: A fair and flexible labour market Aim: work with business to develop a
fairer and more flexible labour market that draws on the talents of all and
builds a strong economy. Building a stronger Britain means making
sure that we draw on the talents of all and that everyone who can work has
real opportunities to work. To do this, we need to work with business to
address the main challenges to equality in the workplace, namely: fair access
to the labour market; a more flexible and inclusive labour market; and equal
pay and equal opportunities for promotion and progression. We need to address
outright discrimination in the workplace and tackle persistent cultural
attitudes that place barriers to individuals entering and progressing in the
workplace because of outdated and misplaced assumptions and practices. We have the legislation in place to tackle
outright discrimination and we need to work to enforce this, and make the
current law easy to understand and implement. Behavioural insights could help
us address cultural attitudes. For example, we know that some people have
intrinsic bias about male and female capabilities, which impacts negatively
on women’s career advancement15. Just 5 per cent of the gender pay gap is due to skills while a far
greater proportion (22 per cent) is due to the different occupations and
industries in which men and women work16, 17. Action Equal pay and progression Making pay transparent is the first step
to making it fair, working towards a new social norm where it is more
acceptable to discuss pay and reveal what people earn. Government can lead by
example in this and reward good practice. We will: • lead by example in promoting transparency
and good practice in the public sector. The new specific duties made to
support the public sector Equality Duty will require large public bodies to
be transparent about the make-up of their employees, to give the public the
information they need to hold organisations to account and promote change.
For example, as part of this, we will strongly encourage them to include
information on their gender pay gap; • work with business and others to develop a
voluntary scheme for gender pay reporting in the private and voluntary sector
which will be available to all private and voluntary sector businesses, but
particularly those with 150 or more employees. We expect and want the
voluntary approach to work. This will give better information and is more
likely to drive successful change. We will annually review the numbers of
companies releasing information, and its quality, under the voluntary
approach to assess whether this approach is successful and take a view over
time whether alternatives are required, including using a mandatory approach
through section 78 of the Equality Act 2010. While we work with business and
others to ensure the voluntary approach is successful, we will not commence,
amend or repeal section 78; |
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•
work
with regulators and business trade organisations to shine a light on those
who are promoting equality well and those who are not doing well; •
take
strong action where there is evidence of discrimination, for example, against
women on pay, where we will shortly set out our approach in a consultation
document; •
improve
careers advice for girls, women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and
others who can be disadvantaged by occupational segregation, to help ensure
that they are aware of the options open to them; •
from
April 2011, allow employers, on a permissive basis, to apply voluntary
positive action in recruitment and promotion processes when faced with two or
more candidates of equal merit, to address under-representation in the
workforce. This does not mean ‘quotas’ or giving someone a job just because
they are a woman, disabled or from an ethnic minority – positive
discrimination is not acceptable and is unlawful; •
work
with business to develop business-led measures to promote more women on to
the boards of listed companies. Lord Davies is currently undertaking a review
into the lack of female representation on corporate and business boards and
will report back early next year; •
lead
by example. We have set a new aspiration that 50 per cent of all new
appointments to public boards will be women by the end of the current
Parliament. This aspiration will be underpinned by a comprehensive work
programme, developing more structured strategic relationships at board level
with FTSE Companies and other business networks; •
publish
research which explores the barriers that employers face in establishing
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) friendly workplaces. We
will work with business to consider the report’s recommendations and take
steps to improve LGB&T equality in the workplace. Modern workplaces Inflexible
working patterns are a barrier for many. The best businesses already
understand that offering flexible working makes good business sense, helping
to attract and retain the best staff. Flexible working allows all businesses
to adapt their working patterns to fit their needs, rather than just
conforming to the traditional 9–5. Some of Britain’s most innovative and
successful small and medium-sized enterprises are showing that flexible
working is good for their businesses as well. And flexible working can
benefit all staff, not just those with caring responsibilities, from faith
communities with different religious leave needs, through to helping older
people manage the transition between work and retirement. We will: •
extend
the right to request flexible working to all employees, promoting flexible
working as sensible business practice rather than special treatment. We will
consult with businesses and the public as we develop our proposals; •
promote
innovative ways to help people find out about opportunities that meet their
needs, building on examples such as Women Like Us, a social enterprise which
runs a recruitment service that specialises in part-time jobs and works with
employers to design part-time jobs that benefit their business; |
•
look
at how the new Universal Credit can support non-traditional work patterns such
as ‘mini jobs’ that can often be the first •
step back into work; •
encourage
shared parenting from the earliest stage of pregnancy, and consult on a new
system of flexible parental leave, allowing •
parents
of all types of families to share leave between them; •
phase
out the Default Retirement Age, allowing older workers to remain in work if
they want to and are capable. We have recently sought views on our proposals
and will respond to the consultation by the end of 2010; •
consider
how the provisions in the Equality Act to ban age discrimination in the
provision of services and exercise of public functions can be implemented in
the best way for business and others affected. There would need to be a full
public consultation on exceptions to the ban on age discrimination, to ensure
that beneficial or justifiable age-based treatment can continue.
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Getting
on and getting ahead For
those who are able to work, work is the best route out of poverty. The
Government will give all those who can work the support that they need to get into, and stay
in work, and in return expect people to take up the opportunities open to
them. We will: •
introduce
a new Work Programme by summer 2011. It will offer personalised support to a
range of people – from Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients who have been out of
work for some time, to those who may previously have been receiving
Incapacity Benefit for years; •
introduce
a new Universal Credit from 2013, designed to simplify the benefits system,
offer an incentive to work and reduce the risk
of making the transition into paid work; •
support
people who have been unemployed for more than six months and want to set up
their own business through the New Enterprise Allowance. Initially, the New
Enterprise Allowance will be available in those areas which face the greatest
unemployment challenge; •
reform
Access to Work so disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already
secured for any adaptations and equipment they will need; and •
provide
improved specialist support for disabled people through Work Choice, to
support those facing complex barriers to employment which cannot be met
through the Work Programme. |
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Section
3: Opening up public services and empowering individuals and communities Aim: Devolving power to local
communities and promoting greater participation and inclusion in public,
political and community life. We
are committed to devolving power and control to citizens and local
communities. We will open up public services to local community groups, give
citizens more choice and control in their daily lives and promote greater
participation in public life. Ensuring everyone has a voice in our democratic
institutions, civil society and local communities, makes Britain’s democracy
stronger, improves accountability and gives all our citizens the chance to
influence and shape the decisions that affect their daily lives. Despite
progress, there is more to do to ensure everyone can participate in public,
political and community life. For example, while the proportion of women and
ethnic minorities in the Westminster Parliament increased following the 2010
general election, women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and others are
still under-represented in our democratic structures.19 Increasing
participation will enable communities to create services which are designed
by the people who will use them. Action Devolving power and control This
government recognises the significant and valuable contribution that faith
groups, local community groups, charities and civic organisations make to
society. We will empower them to become more involved in delivering public services.
These groups are often better at drawing in under-represented people than
government, opening up delivery of public services to a broader range of
participants. And we will give
individuals themselves more choice and control over the services that they
receive. Services which are designed by the people who use them are more
appropriate for individuals, more responsive to their needs and more
effective in delivering the outcomes we want. We will: •
open
up delivery of public services to local community groups, charities, faith
groups, and other civic organisations; •
provide
a £100 million Transition Fund to help those voluntary and community
organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and user-led
groups in England who can provide public services, manage transition to a
tighter funding environment and a new way of working with the public sector; •
through
the Government’s Vision for Adult •
Social
Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens, launched on 16 November 2010,
challenge councils to provide personal budgets, preferably as direct
payments, for everyone who is eligible by April 2013. This would mean
approximately one million people would receive direct payments or personal
budgets – up from 216,000 at the moment; •
test
the Right to Control in five initial Trailblazer areas from December 2010.
Disabled people taking part will have a legal right to be told how much
support they are eligible to receive, to decide and agree the outcomes they
want to achieve and will have choice and control over how they receive
support; |
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•
protect
funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant, helping maintain the independence
of many disabled people by providing support for adaptations such as stair
lifts, walk-in showers and extensions to their home. Case Study Cardinal Hume Centre in London works with
homeless young people, families with housing needs, refugees, asylum seekers
and migrants helping them to obtain employment and break out of the cycle of
homelessness and social exclusion. Through providing a full range of services
– accommodation, practical and emotional support, healthcare and counselling,
education, training and employment advice all on one site, they help young
people to make their own choices, enabling them to find a future they can
call their own. Widening participation We are committed to promoting greater participation in public life. To
do this, we must remove the barriers to full participation. We will: •
train
a new generation of community organisers to work with communities to catalyse
social action; •
under
the National Citizen Service programme, pilot a structured summer programme
to give young people from all backgrounds and abilities an opportunity to
develop the skills needed to be active and responsible citizens, mix with
people from different backgrounds and start getting involved in their
communities; •
provide
extra support to tackle the particular obstacles faced by disabled people who
want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials; and •
consider
ways to support LGB&T people to get more involved in their community –
ranging from becoming a school governor to standing for Parliament – based on
research due to be published later this year on the barriers that LGB&T
people face when they want to participate in civil society. We will also: •
work
with the Mayor of London to ensure a safe and successful Olympic and
Paralympics Games, and a lasting legacy that promotes inclusion and
encourages wider participation in sport among all sections of society across
the whole of the UK; •
inspire
a generation of young people to get involved in competitive school sport
through the new Olympic and Paralympic-style competition. This will give all
schools (mainstream and special) and all pupils (including those with
disabilities or special educational needs) the opportunity to get involved;
and •
ensure
a wider sporting, social and economic legacy from London 2012 across the UK
and inspire a new era in public attitudes towards inclusion and equality. In
particular, we are committed to using the opportunity of the Paralympic Games
to help change attitudes and perceptions towards disabled people. |
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Section
4: Changing culture and attitudes Aim: building respect for all, tackling
discrimination, hate crime and violence. The
message of this government is clear – this is a society where discrimination
is not tolerated and those who seek to undermine communities through
fomenting hatred and division will be challenged. Attitudes are changing. We
are a more diverse and fairer society: the citizenship survey found that 85
per cent of respondents agreed that people from different backgrounds in
their local area get on well together.20 But
the sad reality remains that too many people are victims of discrimination
and hate crime in the UK today. We have strong legislation designed to tackle
discrimination and hate crime, and we will continue to ensure that tough
action is taken where people break the law. But legislation alone will not be
able to change the attitudes that lie behind this behaviour. We will work
with communities to promote positive interactions, build connections and
trust between people. Changing cultures and attitudes Challenging and changing attitudes among young people is key to
ensuring we continue to become a more tolerant society. Government needs to
lead by example. We will: •
introduce
the new Equality Duty, which will require all public bodies to have due
regard to the need to foster good relations between different groups. We will
issue clear guidance so that organisations know what they need to do on this; •
work
with anti-bullying organisations with a proven track record of tackling
prejudice-based bullying, to support schools in tackling all forms of
bullying, including homophobic and transphobic bullying. We will reinforce this through our
streamlined guidance on bullying and have included action to tackle bullying
in the Schools White paper; •
work
with governing bodies of different sports to tackle homophobia and
transphobia in sport; •
publish
research on how to prevent and respond to the bullying of disabled children
and children with Special Education Needs (SEN); •
crack
down on irresponsible advertising and marketing, especially to children, and
take steps to tackle the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood;
and •
bring
together a group of experts to work to identify non-legislative solutions to
tackling low levels of body confidence. Tackling
violence and hate crime We are committed to putting in place more effective measures to tackle
hate crime and the violence that often accompanies it. We will: •
promote
better recording of all hate crimes, but particularly those which at present
are often not centrally recorded, for example, against disabled people and
LGB&T people; •
encourage
those who experience hate crime to report it; •
continue
to work with the Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime.
Membership includes advisors on race, religion and belief, sexual
orientation, disability and gender identity issues; •
continue
to be alert to crimes being committed against members of all faith
communities and work with local communities to take appropriate steps to
safeguard people and property; •
promote
good practice in responding to all forms of hate crime – for example, as part
of government’s wider approach to tackling internet crime, we will be hosting
a ministerial seminar on effective action to tackle hatred perpetrated over
the Internet; and •
publish
a full cross-government action plan to tackle violence against women and
girls in the spring. We have already committed to putting funding for rape
crisis centres on a stable basis, with money for new centres where there are
gaps in provision. Fairer
criminal records We
will address unfairness in the way we retain and use criminal information.
The National DNA Database contains a greater proportion of young black men
than in the general population because proportionately more are arrested,
charged and convicted. But over-representation is greater at arrest than at
conviction. We will: •
adopt
the protections of the Scottish model of DNA retention, vastly reducing the
numbers on the National DNA database who have not been convicted. We will
also ensure that all of those with convictions in the past for serious
offences have a DNA profile on the Database, ensuring maximum protection of
the public from these individuals; •
change
the law so people with historical convictions for consensual gay sex with
over 16s can apply for their record to be deleted from the Police National
Computer, ensuring it no longer has to be declared and will not show up on
criminal record checks; and •
review
the regime for the management of criminal records, the process for disclosure
and the vetting and barring regime to scale it back to common sense levels. |
|
A more
inclusive society Over
40,000 couples in the UK have taken the important step to register their
relationship as a civil partnership, gaining vital legal rights,
responsibilities and protections where previously they had none. We are
talking to those with a key interest in this issue, including representatives
of faith and lesbian, gay and bisexual groups, about what the next stage
should be for civil partnerships, and including how some religious
organisations can allow same-sex couples the opportunity to register their
relationship in a religious setting if they wish to do so. Promoting
rights internationally Almost
one in ten British citizens lives, works or studies abroad; more than ever
before.21 We will work to protect and promote the rights of British citizens
abroad and use our influence to change culture and attitudes and promote
equality, leading by example. We will: •
use
our UK representation at European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), Council of
Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and
Commonwealth meetings to promote equality; •
update
the list of overseas same-sex partnerships automatically recognised by the UK
as equivalent to UK civil partnerships and work bilaterally with other
European countries to overcome the legislative or policy barriers which
prevent them recognising UK civil partnerships; •
proactively
question 42 Commonwealth countries which retain homophobic legislation22,
with a particular focus on those countries which have the death penalty for
homosexual acts; •
continue
to push for universal ratification and implementation of the UN conventions
on racial discrimination and discrimination against women, and those
promoting the rights of children and disabled people23 – and set a good
example through our domestic implementation of these conventions and through
the periodic reporting system; •
stop the
deportation of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries
because their sexual orientation or gender identity puts them at proven risk
of imprisonment, torture or execution; •
recognise
the vital role of women in development, and seek to increase the number of
women and girls in education; improve maternal health and access to family
planning; improve economic empowerment of women through jobs; promote gender
equality; and focus on the rights of women, children and disabled people to
access services; and •
Work
with UN Women to ensure it focuses on key priorities, including violence
against women and the delivery of the Millennium Development Goals, and
delivers real progress for women and girls worldwide. |
|
Section
5: Making it happen Aim: the public sector will lead by
example and empower citizens and communities with the information they need
to hold services to account. This strategy sets out a new direction and
that means a new role for the public sector with government focusing on
transparency, accountability and empowerment. More
accountable and transparent public services Underpinning our work on fairness is our
commitment to transparency and devolving power to the public. Through
transparency, the public will be able to hold those delivering public
services to account. We will: •
introduce
the new public sector Equality Duty. Through this Duty we will remove the top
down targets and bureaucratic processes that the current duties entail and
instead require public bodies to publish data on the equality results in
their services and their workforce; •
introduce
a new right to see data so that government-held data can be requested and
used by the public and published; •
ensure
information is accessible to all. Through the e-Accessibility Regulatory
Framework, we are working with the IT Industry to ensure their products meet
the needs of older and disabled people; and •
ensure
that all government websites meet e-accessibility standards. We have
developed and disseminated guidance for government staff on accessible and
inclusive communications, including creating accessible consultations, video
and easy read standards. Equality
at the heart of government We will put equality at the heart of
government, ensuring that we lead by example, embed equalities across all
departments and work in partnership with business, community groups and wider
society to deliver tangible results.
We will: • ensure every department continues to work
to promote diversity, for example, through internship schemes to widen access
to the civil service for those who are currently underrepresented such as
ethnic minorities and disabled people; • listen to and involve the public and
partners in the development of policy, including through a new strategy for
engaging with women and women’s organisations; • involve older people in our work on age
discrimination through the UK Advisory Forum on Ageing; • continue to work with other expert groups
such as the independent Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG), which works in
partnership with government to provide advice on ethnic minority employment
issues and has developed and published a free toolkit titled 5-Points for Progress. It contains the
key steps employers should take to recruit the best talent for their
organisation, how to reduce employee turnover and reduce related costs; • through the Office for Disability Issues,
continue to work with Equality 2025 and to address the specific barriers that
disabled people face due to the asymmetric nature of disability, involving
disabled people in developing policy; • implement the first ever cross-government
programme to support LGB&T people. We also recognise there are specific
issues that transgender people face and we will therefore work with
transgender people to develop the first Government Action Plan on transgender
equality next year; • ensure child poverty concerns are built
into policy-making across government, supported by the Child Poverty Unit,
jointly sponsored by Department for Education (DfE), HM Treasury (HMT) and
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); • reform the Equality and Human Rights
Commission (EHRC) so that it concentrates on its key roles as a modern
regulator and as a national human rights institution; and • ensure departments take responsibility for
and ownership of progressing equality commitments. We have set up an
Intermenstrual Group on Equalities to address common issues, oversee the
implementation of this strategy and report annually on progress. Conclusion Equality is not an add-on, but an integral
part of this government’s commitment to build a stronger economy and fairer
society. This strategy sets out a new approach to delivering equality: one
that moves away from treating people as groups or ‘equality strands’ and
instead recognises that we are a nation of 62 million individuals. Government will act as a leader, a
catalyst and an advocate for change. We will continue to make targeted
interventions where these will make a real difference, but on its own
government can only ever make limited progress. We will work with people, communities and
businesses to empower them to enact change. Only if we do that; only if we
work with the grain of human nature, not against it, will we achieve the
fairer, more equal and more prosperous society that we all want to see. |
|
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