Women and Equalities Committee

High-level objectives:

In our work, we are guided by four aims:

1. Hold to account the Government, government bodies and other key stakeholders on their action to reduce inequalities.
2. Listen and engage with those with protected characteristics about the inequalities they face. Making their voices central to our work by championing their needs and influencing improvement in their lives.
3. Provide analysis of equalities by using the information we gather, facilitating discussion, advancing effective recommendations, and increasing the availability/accessibility of useful information on equalities in the public domain.
4. Build public confidence in Parliamentary scrutiny on equalities by providing leadership on the equalities and inclusion agenda.

Role:

We play a crucial role in ensuring that Government is held accountable to Parliament on equalities matters. This includes looking at:

• the work of the Government Equalities Office; including its leadership and performance in its ambition to improve equality and reduce discrimination and disadvantage for all;
• the wider work of the Cabinet Office in reducing disparities, particularly the Race Equality Unit and the Disability Unit;
• the Government’s overall approach to equalities, including levelling-up and how this fits with wider equalities work;
• the work of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission— the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010— particularly its leadership and performance in ensuring that strong equality and human rights laws protect people and in using data to demonstrate what happens in practice;
• the work of the Social Mobility Commission— an independent statutory body that exists to create a United Kingdom where the circumstances of birth do not determine outcomes in life.