Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the remarks by the Solicitor General, Vera Baird, on 2 December (Official Report, Commons, col. 1226), when they commissioned research on caste from the Equality Commission; and when they expect the commission to report its findings.
Answer
The Solicitor General's statement relates to a request which the Government Equalities Office (GEO) had, then, recently made to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to take forward the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance's recommendation that the EHRC should undertake detailed research on caste. The EHRC, which is an independent body, has subsequently indicated it does not intend to undertake research in this area at the present time, although it is discussing the issue with stakeholders. GEO is therefore now in the process of seeking an alternative provider for this research on caste discrimination. It is working in consultation with both the EHRC and the Department for Communities and Local Government.