Racial Discrimination

House of Lords written question – answered at on 12 June 2014.

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Photo of Lord Ouseley Lord Ouseley Crossbench

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the factors contributing to the increased level of racial prejudice in Britain, as reported in the British Social Attitudes 31st report by NatCen; and what advice has been provided or is expected to be provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the matter in accordance with its statutory duties.

Photo of Baroness Stowell of Beeston Baroness Stowell of Beeston The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

The figures from the British Social Attitudes survey do not show an increased level of prejudice, but are actually more complex. The figures fluctuate from year to year, but the long-term trends are a decline in self-reported prejudice. Causal factors are likely to include the aftermath of the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks, different attitudes to changing immigration and (in a positive way) the 2012 Olympics. The dataset can be viewed online at:

http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/338779/selfreported-racial-prejudice-datafinal.pdf

The Government has a comprehensive programme of activities to build strong and more united communities, tackle hate crime, harness the work of faith groups and commemorate our common heritage. I have placed in the Library illustrations which summarise our work, which also can be found online at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/communitiesuk/sets/72157644380501531/

The Commission’s next periodic report on progress on its statutory duties, including tackling unlawful discrimination and harassment, is due to be published in 2015.

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