Office for Tackling Injustices explained

The Office for Tackling Injustices (OfTI) is a proposed UK government body announced on 12 July 2019.[1] It was said by Prime Minister Theresa May that it would work independently to encourage future governments to focus on addressing inequalities in society.[2] The body would collect evidence on disparities in areas including socio-economic background, ethnicity, gender, disability and sexual orientation.[3] Its role would be limited to collecting and publishing data, and it would not make any policy recommendations,[4] [5] leading it to criticism for duplicating data-gathering functions already performed by bodies such as the Office for National Statistics.[6] The Guardian described the OfTI as a way for May to secure a legacy before a new leader was elected by the Conservative Party membership.[7]

In March 2020, The Observer reported that the organisation had not convened or submitted a budget since its inception, with one unidentified participant stating "(it) doesn't exist – it is never going to exist. It has been thrown into the long grass... People involved in it have never even been told what the plan was. They have heard nothing."[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Office for Tackling Injustices: 15 Jul 2019: Hansard Written Answers. TheyWorkForYou. 16 July 2019.
  2. Web site: Office for Tackling Injustices :Written statement - HCWS1723. www.parliament.uk. 15 July 2019. 16 July 2019.
  3. News: Theresa May announces body to tackle social injustice. BBC News. 12 July 2019. 22 March 2020.
  4. Web site: Theresa May announces new 'Office for Tackling Injustices' as part of her legacy plan. 12 July 2019. The Independent. Benjamin. Kentish. 16 July 2019.
  5. Web site: The new Office for Tackling Injustices needs "a clear remit to avoid duplication"- EHRC. PoliticsHome. 12 July 2019. 16 July 2019.
  6. Web site: The next Prime Minister should scrap the Office for Tackling Injustices. ConservativeHome. Henry. Hill. 13 July 2019. 16 July 2019.
  7. News: Social justice, not Brexit – Theresa May races to secure legacy. Mason. Rowena. 10 July 2019. The Guardian. 16 July 2019. Stewart. Heather. 0261-3077.
  8. News: Theresa May's social injustice office 'doesn't exist – and never will'. The Guardian. Michael. Savage. 21 March 2020.