| Jane Kennedy MP (Chair) |
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) |
| Nigel Griffiths MP |
Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) |
| Fiona Mactaggart MP |
Home Office (HO) |
| Leslie Manasseh |
Trades Union Congress (TUC |
| Trevor Phillips |
Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) |
| Nahid Majid |
DWP |
| Jane McLuckie-Townsen |
DWP |
| Michael Hewson |
DWP |
| James Lindsey |
DWP/NEP |
| Sarah Kissack |
DWP |
| Sarah Perry |
DWP |
| Shelagh Prosser |
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) |
| Tracey Vego |
DTI |
| Matthew West |
HO |
| Inderjit Dehal |
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) |
| Nicholas Holgate |
HMT |
| Sonny Taank |
CRE |
Apologies were received from Stephen Twigg MP, DfES; Yvette Cooper MP, ODPM; and Neil Bentley, Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
The Chair welcomed all to the Task Force meeting, and noted that Ministers had agreed to make Task Force meetings shorter and more focused, and hoped that this would help to progress some important issues.
The Task Force agreed the minutes of the last Task Force meeting, and noted that all action points arising had been cleared.
Jane Kennedy gave a verbal update on the meeting held between all Task Force Ministers on June 14.
At this meeting, Ministers agreed that the focus, work and progress of the Task Force do not require substantial change. However, it was agreed at the meeting on June 14 that the current schedule of monthly Task Force meetings placed an unnecessary burden on both Ministers and officials, and that moving to quarterly Task Force meetings would allow officials to demonstrate greater progress at each meeting.
In addition, Ministers had agreed that meeting should be shorter, and that Departments should, where possible, restrict the number of officials attending to one lead official.
Trevor Phillips noted that, whilst moving to quarterly meetings would enable the Task Force to focus on important issues, it would be helpful to adapt the length of each meeting according to the agenda.
The Task Force agreed that future meetings should be held on a quarterly basis, subject to the Parliamentary calendar; that meetings should be an hour long, subject to the agenda; and that the number of officials attending each meeting should be restricted, where possible, to one per Department (Action Point 1).
A paper was tabled setting out the suggested structure of the Task Force Yearly Progress Report. The paper proposes that the yearly progress reports should have a dual role:
In addition, the paper proposed that the report should be structured around the three themes of the strategy, and should have four main reporting sections:
The Task Force agreed the proposed structure of the report.
The Task Force noted that the section allowing stakeholders to present their views was particularly important, and that the Stakeholder Group has an important role to play.
There was some discussion regarding the need to ensure that other measures undertaken across Government likely to have a positive impact on the ethnic minority employment rate should be included within the yearly progress reports. The Task Force agreed that the final section of the report should show the impact of such measures on the employment gap (Action Point 2).
In addition, it was agreed that officials should ensure that Leslie Manasseh, Trevor Phillips and Neil Bentley have sight of the key performance indicators currently being developed (Action Point 3).
The Chair updated the Task Force on actions taken to baseline current action across Government regarding the use of procurement as a lever to promote race equality.
She reported that all major government departments have responded to her letter requesting information on current procurement activity. Following responses from the departments, officials held a seminar for all the major procuring departments.
Jane McLuckie-Townsend updated the Task Force on the seminar, which enabled officials to identify actions departments can take forward to promote race equality in procurement, and to identify what departments’ needs are in terms of guidance and support.
She noted that the seminar, at which Jane Kennedy spoke, had been a success, and that it had identified what steps should be taken to ensure that procurement is properly used as a lever for promoting race equality.
There was some discussion regarding the use of procurement, and how far it can be used to encourage businesses contracting with Government to demonstrate good race equality practices. Trevor Phillips recommended that Government conveys to contractors the message that the ability to demonstrate commitment to race equality will be one of the things that will give them a competitive advantage.
It was also noted that the message regarding the use of procurement to promote race equality needs to be conveyed to procurers within Government, in addition to the contracting companies themselves.
It was agreed (Action Point 4) that officials should update the Task Force on progress in this issue at the Task Force meeting in October.
Nahid Majid, chair of the Ethnic Minority Stakeholder Group, updated the Task Force on the Group and its first meeting on 24 May. She noted that the Group brought together a valuable range of expertise and experience, and that members were keen to contribute to the work and progress of the Task Force.
Following some discussion regarding the need to manage the expectations of Stakeholder Group members, it was agreed that officials should work with the Group to identify what actions they wished to pursue, and report to the Task Force at the meeting in October on what work the Group will be undertaking (Action Point 5).
It was noted that the Task Force had already agreed to revising the frequency and timing of meetings (Action Point 1), and that the next Task Force meeting would be held in October.
Shelagh Prosser noted that the Strategy Unit is shortly to publish a report on deprived communities, which would mention the work of the Task Force and the recommendations of the Strategy Unit report on ethnic minorities in the labour market, and that Task Force members and officials would wish to note the report.
Fiona Mactaggart suggested the members may also wish to see the Home Office’s report on ‘Strength in Diversity.’ It was agreed that officials would circulate a copy of the report (Action Point 6).
There were no further items of any other business.
| No. | Action |
Responsible |
Deadline |
Status |
| AP 1.1 |
Iris report to be published | Secretariat | Outstanding | |
| 1 |
Future meetings to be held on a quarterly basis; to be restricted where possible to an hour in length; and officials to be restricted where possible to one per department. | EMED | From Task Force meeting in October | Cleared |
| 2 |
Annual progress reports should reflect all being undertaken across Government likely to have an impact on the employment gap. | EMED | First draft of first annual progress report due September 2004 | |
| 3 |
Ensure CBI, TUC and CRE members have sight of proposed key performance indicators | EMED | September 15 | |
| 4 |
Officials to update Task Force on procurement | EMED | October Task Force meeting | |
| 5 |
Officials to report on the work being undertaken by the Stakeholder Group | EMED/Nahid Majid | October Task Force meeting | |
| 6 |
Officials to circulate the Home Office’s ‘Strength in Diversity’ report | EMED | September 15 |