33
ISSUES: Racial & Ethnic Discrimination
Chapter 2: Tackling racism
and elected to, Parliament and
how, once present, they could
be most effective in representing
their
constituents’
interests,
scrutinising laws and holding the
Government to account. Specific
recommendations are made to
the new Reference Group, the
Secretary of State for Women and
Equalities, the House of Commons
Commission, the Women and
Equalities Committee, and the
political parties.
Ö
Parliamentary Infrastructure.
This covers everything from
the buildings and furniture
of Parliament to the official
rules and working practices.
Recommendations are made
to the Speaker, the House of
Commons
Commission,
the
Leader of the House, the Liaison
Committee, and IPSA.
Ö
Commons
Culture.
This
dimension
looks
beyond
the formal rules to examine
Parliamentary
culture
and its effect on diversity.
Recommendations are aimed at
the Speaker of the House, The
House of Commons Commission,
the Women in Parliament All-
Party
Parliamentary
Group
(APPG), and the Works of Art
Committee.
MPs and academics have lent their
support to the report. Tom Brake MP,
Liberal Democrat spokesperson for
Foreign Affairs, said: “With the creation
of the Commons Reference Group
on Representation and Inclusion, the
political establishment is presented with
a real challenge – do we want to ensure
Parliament is representative of theUK as a
whole or not? And if we do, arewewilling
to implement the measures necessary to
make it happen?”
Dr Meryl Kenny, Lecturer in Gender and
Politics at University of Edinburgh, said:
“Women are still only 29.4 per cent of
the House of Commons, which is simply
not good enough.
The Good Parliament
report provides a landmark and much-
needed call for change, setting out a
comprehensive plan of practical reforms
that will fundamentally transform the
membership, infrastructure and culture
of the House of Commons. The House
can – and must – deliver on this new
vision of a ‘Good Parliament’ – one that is
modern, representative, accountable and
effective. The time is now.”
Maria Miller MP, Chair of the Women
and Equalities Select Committee, said: “I
welcome the recommendation that the
Women and Equality Select Committee
be made permanent. It is important
that the House of Commons takes this
report’s finding into account when Select
Committees are agreed in the usual way
after the next General Election.
“The Women and Equality Select
Committee has an important role
in scrutinising the effectiveness of
the Government’s equality work. It’s
important the House of Commons, as a
separate body, accepts its institutional
responsibility to ensure Parliament is
diverse in its composition and more
inclusive in its structures and practices.
“As someonewho is committed to a fairer
and more equal Britain, I look forward
to working with the new Commons’
Reference Group on Representation and
Inclusion.”
Melanie Onn, MP for Great Grimsby said:
“It is obvious to even the casual observer
that Parliament needs to commit to
change if it wants to be fit for modern
purpose.
“Parliament is still unrepresentative of the
British public, clinging on to antiquated
traditions and a reluctance to progress.
This makes it less appealing as a place
to work and causes people to view it as
remote and opaque.
“I hope Professor Childs’ report will
spark the changes we need to see in
Westminster.”
Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP, Shadow Group
Leader on Social Justice, said: “This report
makes a really important contribution
to the debate about how we make
Parliament more representative of
those it serves, and how we might work
towards better gender balance in our
democratic institutions. It deserves to be
widely read.”
20 July 2016
Ö
The
above
information
is
reprinted with kind permission
from the University of Bristol.
Please visit
for
further information.
© University of Bristol 2017
Intolerance in northern Europe
% who have a negative impression of the following groups
Roma/Gypsies
Muslims
Black people
Gay people
Jewish people
Denmark
72
45
11
7
8
Finland
53
45
20
15
10
France
55
40
14
14
10
Britain
58
40
8
9
7
Germany
42
36
10
12
9
Norway
40
37
11
11
10
Sweden
45
36
8
7
6
Source: YouGov May 2015
“Parliament is still
unrepresentative of
the British public,
clinging on to
antiquated traditions
and a reluctance to
progress”
