Wednesday

The last day before the Christmas recess. I had the topical question, for which there is a ballot. The question was on the Government's reaction to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research report on caste discrimination in he UK. Under the previous Government, it was clearly understood that if the research found that caste discrimination does exist in the UK, they would activate Section 9(5) of the Equality Act, in effect treating caste as a 'protected characteristic along with age, race, religion, disability, marriage and civil partnership, gender and sexual orientation. The Minister who replied, Baroness Verma, was very lukewarm about the possibility of using the legislation that's there.

Later, down to Woking for cousin Dudi's funeral at the crematorium. She was 93, and had been getting steadily weaker. Very sadly also, her sharp mind had started to fade.