The Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry this week into whether all relevant equality issues have been considered, any possible unforeseen consequences and what improvements can be made.
Concerns that have emerged so far include the increased risk of domestic abuse where households are required to stay at home, the impact of school closures on children with special educational needs and their families, and the risk that redeploying healthcare and social work professionals to deal with the pandemic will leave older and disabled people vulnerable in other ways.
The Committee’s chair, Caroline Nokes MP, said the government needed ‘to ensure that its policies and plans are as effective as possible’.
The Committee would like to receive responses by 30 April, or as soon as possible if relevant to the government’s three-week review of current measures. Find out more at https://bit.ly/2WYMr96.
