HL Deb 08 March 2000 vol 610 cc150-1WA
Baroness Uddin

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What strategies the Department of Health has in place to meet the needs of minority ethnic communities generally; what proportion are focused on meeting the needs of religious and faith communities; and, of those, what proportion are focused on Muslim communities. [HL1386]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)

The Department of Health's strategy for meeting the needs of minority ethnic communities is to mainstream race equality issues into all aspects of its work, including policy development, NHS and social care service delivery and workforce issues. This approach was set out inThe Race Equality Agenda of the Department of Health, published in January, and copies have been placed in the Library. Staff will be equipped with the skills they need to develop and deliver services which meet the cultural, religious and linguistic needs of local black and minority ethnic populations.