Embargoed until 00:01 on
Wednesday 27 January 2010 - Harman: Government steps up action to
tackle inequality
Government
responds to National Equality Panel report
The Government today welcomed a comprehensive new report on
inequality which shows that the trend of rising growth in
inequality dating back to the 1980's has been halted and
that, as a result of policy action, progress has been made to
tackle poverty and make Britain a fairer society.
"An Anatomy of Inequality in the UK" is the
final report of the National Equality Panel - an independent group
of academic experts - led by Prof John Hills which was established
by the Government in 2008 to provide:
* an up to date analysis of what inequality looks like in today
society's in light of changing demographics, the changing
role of men and women and globalisation; and * a solid evidence
base for future action.
The report shows clearly how inequality accumulates over an
individual's lifetime and is carried from one generation
to the next. It shows the key stages in people's lives
when public policy intervention is most important and most
effective - during the pre-school years, at the transition from
education to the workplace and when re-entering the labour market
after having children.
The report also shows that the family you are born into and your
parent's wealth make a profound and lasting difference to
your life chances. The Government's response
welcome's the National Equality Panel's report
and its finding that public policy intervention works.
Since 1997, public policy has made Britain fairer in the
following ways:
* Tackling poverty and inequality - as a result of direct tax and
benefit measures coming into effect by 2010/11, in real terms
since 1997:
* households in the poorest fifth of the population will be on
average £3,000 a year better off;
* families with children in the poorest fifth of population will
be on average £5,000 a year better off; and,
* the poorest third of pensioners will be on average £2,100 a
year better off.
* Giving children the best possible start in life - investing in
Surestart and early year's development - more than
doubling the number of childcare places
* Increasing fairness and equality in the labour market - the
National Minimum Wage has benefited around one million workers
each year. Nearly 10,000 more young people from lower
socio-economic groups started a first degree in 2007/08 than was
the case five years earlier.
* Tackling discrimination and unfairness due to sex, gender
identity and status, sexual orientation, race, faith, age or
disability -narrowing the gap between men and women's pay
from 27.5% in 1997 to 22.0%.
* Supporting people to build assets throughout life - we have
introduced the Child Trust Fund which is now held by over 4.8
million children and will help tackle wealth inequality amongst
young adults. Income of UK elderly has risen from 15% below EU
average in 1997 to 9% above in 2007.
* Reducing unequal conditions and outcomes in different areas by
transforming living and working conditions for millions. We have
reduced the number of non-decent social homes by more than one and
a half million since 1997, putting in place 810,000 new kitchens,
610,000 new bathrooms, and 1,140,000 new central heating systems
into council homes.
* Reducing inequalities in health outcomes. In the most deprived
areas life expectancy has increased by 3.1 years for males and 2.1
years for females since 1995-96.
Minister for Women & Equality Harriet Harman said:
"We know that disadvantage can come from your gender or
ethnicity; your sexual orientation or from disability; your age or
your religion or belief or any combination of these. But
overarching and interwoven with this is the persistent inequality
of social class - your family background and where you were born.
"We have made progress over the last 13 years -
especially in tackling poverty - and halted the rising growth of
inequality that dates back to the 1980's and which we
still see the effects of today. But we will do more to increase
social mobility and tackle the barriers that hold people back
unfairly.
"The work of the National Equality Panel will underpin
Clause One of the Equality Bill which places a new legal duty on
key public bodies to consider, in all the important decisions they
make and all important actions they take, how they can tackle
socio-economic inequality.
"The challenges set out in today's report
require sustained and focused action. But for the sake of the
right of every individual to reach their full potential, for the
sake of a strong and meritocratic economy and to achieve a
peaceful and cohesive society, that is the challenge that must be
met."
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
For further information on the Government's response to
the report please contact Alex Marklew in the Government
Equalities Office press office on 0207 276 1003.
For further information on the report, or to interview author
Professor John Hills, contact Warwick Smith in the LSE press
office on 020 7955 7440.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Government Equalities Office is responsible for the
Government's overall strategy, legislation, and
priorities on equality issues. The Office also has direct
responsibility for policy on gender equality, sexual orientation,
and for integrating work on race. The Prime Minister announced the
establishment of the Government Equalities Office (GEO) in July
2007 and it became a Department in its own right in October 2007.
It works to Ministers Harriet Harman, Maria Eagle, Vera Baird and
Michael Foster.
About the National Equality Panel
In September 2008 Harriet Harman commissioned the National
Equality Panel to produce a report on inequality in the UK, with a
remit to:
* provide a factual analysis of how equality trends have changed
over the last ten years and map out exactly where gaps have
narrowed and widened in society.
* investigate how people's life chances are affected
by gender, race, disability, age and other important aspects of
inequality such as where they were born, what kind of family they
were born into, where they live and their wealth; and
* show how these factors inter-relate and reinforce one
another.
The panel, chaired by Professor John Hills from the London School
of Economics, will launch its report on 27 January 2010. The
Government will publish a formal response alongside it.
Professor Hills and Harriet Harman will both speak at the launch,
which takes place at the British Museum from 9.30am.
The full text of the report and the Government's
response will be available on the GEO website - http://www.equalities.gov.uk
<http://www.equalities.gov.uk/
- from 10:00 on 27 January.
For full details of the panel, visit: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/national_equality_panel.aspx
About the Socio-Economic Duty in the Equality Bill The
socio-economic duty will ensure that public bodies, in all the key
decisions they take, will need to have regard to addressing
socio-economic inequalities. They will need to look at the
evidence, and consider what more they could do to promote equality.
The socio-economic duty will apply to England, Scotland and
Wales. In England, the duty covers strategic bodies and Ministers
including: government departments, regional development agencies,
local authorities, police authorities, strategic health
authorities and primary care trusts.
A full fact sheet on the socio-economic duty is available from
GEO press office.
Contacts:
Government Equalities Office press office
Phone: 0207 276 0932
enquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk