Consultation display

The Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan states its purpose is to “make a measurable difference to the lives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people” and sets out a vision of an anti-racist Wales by 2030.  On 20 March 2023, the Equality and Social Justice Committee held an evidence-gathering roundtable session with stakeholders to identify key priorities in relation to the implementation of the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. Stakeholders highlighted issues around the overall implementation and delivery of the plan and raised concerns in the following policy areas:

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>>>Health: concerns include the use of children as translators in healthcare settings.

>>>Education: concerns include racism in schools, training and skills, attainment gaps and barriers in higher education.

>>>Housing: concerns include low levels of awareness about the plan and a lack of engagement with private landlords.

>>>Crime and Justice: concerns around lack of actions on reporting racism, tackling ‘everyday racism’ and overt forms of racism targeted at specific groups (including migrants and refugees) and racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system.

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The Equality and Social Justice Committee want to further explore these issues by holding an inquiry into the implementation and delivery of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan.

Terms of reference

The terms of reference for the inquiry are to:

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>>>Consider the effectiveness of Welsh Government actions to deliver the plan, including what is being done to ‘lead by example’ in taking a pro-active and cross-governmental approach to racism.

>>>Consider progress and monitoring arrangements for the Plan, including the role of the public sector (local authorities, health, education), third sector and where applicable, the private sector.

>>>Examine the progress of the Racial Disparity Unit, and determine whether there are gaps in data collection and analysis of data is being carried out effectively.

>>>Explore what channels of communication has been established to ensure people with lived experience are informed of the plan’s progress and what changes are happening as a result of the plan.

>>>Evaluate the effectiveness of the Plan in its first year, including whether actions have been delivered, what the key outcomes have been so far and to determine why any outstanding actions have not been implemented.

>>>Help further understanding of what other interventions are needed to support delivery of the plan and whether there are barriers to implementing the plan.

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Given the importance of intersectionality, the inquiry will also consider how the plan and policies have taken account of people’s intersecting identities and how these have been taken into account when developing and implementing the Plan.

Evidence gathering

We wanted to make sure that our work was informed by experiences, needs, and views that reflect the diversity of the people and communities affected by these issues.

We encouraged anyone with expertise or experience of these issues to share their views, with the full knowledge that their views were welcomed and valued.

The closing date for submissions was 6 October 2023.

Ministerial evidence will be received from the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip on 4 December 2023.