This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Create an independent investigatory commission to help protect ethnic minorities
We need the UK government to create an independent investigation commission to investigate cases involving the death, maltreatment & discrimination of people of colour and ethnic minorities. To hold Anybody accountable for their action be that the police, government or members of the public.
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Systematic racism needs systematic Solutions. The UK government needs to put tangible measures in place to protect, people of colour and ethnic minorities in the UK. We need to put a stop to systematic racism within our country. There need to be independent investigators who can protect people of colour and ethnic minorities by looking into cases & reports of unfair treatment & make sure they are treated fairly instead of becoming victims to racial profiling & discrimination. If discrimination is involved action should be taken against the people involved.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 30 July 2020
The Prime Minister has announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that will seek to understand what disparities exist and why, and present recommendations based on robust evidence.
The Government is committed to tackling prejudice, racism and discrimination - and to improve the quality of data and evidence about the types of barriers faced by people from different backgrounds to help drive effective and lasting change.
On 16 July 2020 the Prime Minister announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, chaired by Dr Tony Sewell (CBE). This is a cross-government Commission that will review inequality in the UK, across the whole population. The Commission’s work will touch upon many areas of public policy. It will make recommendations for action across Government, public bodies and the private sector, and will inform a national conversation about race, led by the evidence. The aim of the Commission is to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all.
In addition, the Government’s Race Disparity Unit (RDU) is already working across departments and their agencies to identify and address variances in outcomes across education, healthcare, criminal justice and the economy. The RDU works across Whitehall and with local authorities to coproduce interventions to address these disparities.
This includes work to build trust between communities and the police forces that serve them, and working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs Council, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve recording and monitoring of Hate Crimes.
On 30 October 2017, the Government also published the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody carried out by Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC, and its response to the report. Every death in police custody is a tragedy and this is a priority area for the Government. Good progress has been made in addressing Dame Elish’s recommendations, although there is more to be done. The Government is committed to delivering meaningful and lasting change in response. The Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody will continue to oversee and drive progress on this work programme. Preventing deaths in custody and families’ experiences will remain at the centre of the changes we plan to deliver.
In April, the Government commissioned Public Health England to review how different factors - including ethnicity, gender and obesity can impact on people’s health outcomes from COVID-19. The review was published on 2 June, and the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, is carrying forward work to build on the PHE review. This includes reviewing the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by relevant government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19.
It is the view of the Government that the combined work outlined to tackle racial disparities, will satisfy the request of this e-petition.
Cabinet Office
This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323867)
Related activity
Original Government response
The Prime Minister has announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that will seek to understand what disparities exist and why, and present recommendations based on robust evidence.
The Government is committed to tackling prejudice, racism and discrimination - and to improve the quality of data and evidence about the types of barriers faced by people from different backgrounds to help drive effective and lasting change.
Government’s Race Disparity Unit (RDU) is already working across departments and their agencies to identify and address variances in outcomes across education, healthcare, criminal justice and the economy. The RDU works across Whitehall and with local authorities to coproduce interventions to address these disparities.
This includes work to build trust between communities and the police forces that serve them, and working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs Council, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve recording and monitoring of Hate Crimes.
On 30 October 2017, the Government also published the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody carried out by Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC, and its response to the report. Every death in police custody is a tragedy and this is a priority area for the Government. Good progress has been made in addressing Dame Elish’s recommendations, although there is more to be done. The Government is committed to delivering meaningful and lasting change in response. The Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody will continue to oversee and drive progress on this work programme. Preventing deaths in custody and families’ experiences will remain at the centre of the changes we plan to deliver.
In April, the Government commissioned Public Health England to review how different factors - including ethnicity, gender and obesity can impact on people’s health outcomes from COVID-19. The review was published on 2 June, and the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, is carrying forward work to build on the PHE review. This includes reviewing the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by relevant government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19.
Additionally, the Prime Minister announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that will build on the work of the RDU, going further to understand why disparities exist and presenting recommendations for action across Government and other public bodies. The Commission aims to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all. More information on the Commission will be available in due course.
Cabinet Office
This response was given on 6 July 2020. The Petitions Committee then requested a revised response, that more directly addressed the request of the petition.
Share your views on ethnic disparities and inequality in the UK
The Government has launched a consultation on ethnic disparities and inequality in the UK, and want to hear from members of the public. There are ten questions, and you can answer any or all of them.
You can find out more about the consultation and contribute here:
The closing date for responses is Monday 30 November 2020.
What is the Petitions Committee?
The Petitions Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that considers e-petitions submitted on Parliament’s petitions website and public (paper) petitions presented to the House of Commons. It is independent of the Government.
Find out more about the Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/
Get real-time updates on the Committee's work by following them on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HoCPetitions
Find out more about how petitions work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGEOraE08Jk&feature=youtu.be
These are ‘select committees’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c