Written Question · S5W-29577 · Session 5
What its response is to the STUC Black Workers Committee open letter to the First Minister of 22 May 2020 regarding the impact of COVID-19 …
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the STUC Black Workers Committee open letter to the First Minister of 22 May 2020 regarding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME workers.
The answer
The First Minister responded to the STUC Black Workers' Committee's open letter on 3 June, outlining some of the work that is ongoing to understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on minority ethnic communities.
The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by reports indicating that ethnic minority communities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19, and it is an issue we are taking extremely seriously.
We have been working to establish and understand the data and evidence in Scotland, and on 20 May we published additional information from Public Health Scotland (PHS), which included preliminary analysis of COVID-19 cases among minority ethnic communities. Although the data is very limited, the current information in Scotland appears to show that there is not a higher level of COVID-19 cases than would be expected, given the size of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic population.
We are committed to continuously deepening our understanding of the risk factors and improving our analysis. To support that, analytical partners across the Scottish Government, National Records of Scotland (NRS), PHS and the NHS continue to work together to consider how we can better understand the impact of COVID-19 on people from all minority ethnic communities. We have asked PHS to undertake a review of the available evidence, which will inform future action. NRS are working towards producing an analysis similar to that recently published by ONS for England and Wales.
Also, to support the Scottish Government in making the best possible decisions, informed by appropriate expertise, an Expert Reference Group is being convened on 10 June to challenge and shape our approach moving forward. We are also committed to listening to stakeholder organisations, and the people they support, to ensure that concerns are heard and addressed.
The Scottish Government remains committed to playing its part to eradicate racism, inequality, and injustice, and to build a better, fairer Scotland for everyone.
The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by reports indicating that ethnic minority communities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19, and it is an issue we are taking extremely seriously.
We have been working to establish and understand the data and evidence in Scotland, and on 20 May we published additional information from Public Health Scotland (PHS), which included preliminary analysis of COVID-19 cases among minority ethnic communities. Although the data is very limited, the current information in Scotland appears to show that there is not a higher level of COVID-19 cases than would be expected, given the size of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic population.
We are committed to continuously deepening our understanding of the risk factors and improving our analysis. To support that, analytical partners across the Scottish Government, National Records of Scotland (NRS), PHS and the NHS continue to work together to consider how we can better understand the impact of COVID-19 on people from all minority ethnic communities. We have asked PHS to undertake a review of the available evidence, which will inform future action. NRS are working towards producing an analysis similar to that recently published by ONS for England and Wales.
Also, to support the Scottish Government in making the best possible decisions, informed by appropriate expertise, an Expert Reference Group is being convened on 10 June to challenge and shape our approach moving forward. We are also committed to listening to stakeholder organisations, and the people they support, to ensure that concerns are heard and addressed.
The Scottish Government remains committed to playing its part to eradicate racism, inequality, and injustice, and to build a better, fairer Scotland for everyone.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-29577 by reference.