:00:00. > :00:00.will disturb or shortly effdct homeless people. The law has been
:00:00. > :00:13.the balance in what I think is a fair way. Questions to the Linister
:00:14. > :00:20.on women and equality is -- for women and equality is.
:00:21. > :00:26.On behalf of the whole housd, can I welcome the new e-mail First
:00:27. > :00:31.Minister in Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, to her role, and wished her
:00:32. > :00:39.all the best? I'm sure the hassle also want to offer the support to
:00:40. > :00:43.members who made his statemdnt yesterday. This
:00:44. > :00:48.changed the definition of child poverty. As the Prime Minister says,
:00:49. > :00:53.we are determined to tackle the causes of child poverty. Our
:00:54. > :00:57.proposals in the welfare reform and work Bill introduced new me`sures on
:00:58. > :01:11.what listeners and educational attainment. We reflect your comments
:01:12. > :01:16.for the honourable member and the new First Minister. We agred
:01:17. > :01:27.additional measures would bd useful for so it is clear that welfare
:01:28. > :01:28.reform... Given that 46% of women in policy from working families, does
:01:29. > :01:52.the Minister not agree that the the income must be retained
:01:53. > :01:56.otherwise it will rely only on statistics, not reality, whhch is a
:01:57. > :01:59.cynical manoeuvre. I disagrde with him in his last remarks. We are
:02:00. > :02:04.absolutely committed to tackling child poverty, to making sure that
:02:05. > :02:11.as many children as possibld do not grow up afflicted by the blhght of
:02:12. > :02:13.polity. Since 2010, the jubhlant in families is at an all-time low. --
:02:14. > :02:23.the children in workless falilies. Those are the two things th`t make a
:02:24. > :02:26.critical difference to whether a child grows up in poverty and
:02:27. > :02:32.continues to live in povertx throughout their lives.
:02:33. > :02:39.Since 2010, I see more people destitute in my constituencx, more
:02:40. > :02:44.people homeless, more peopld dependent on food banks. Dods the
:02:45. > :02:47.government understand that changing internationally agreed definitions
:02:48. > :02:53.of poverty will seem like a cynical attempt for them to mask thd true
:02:54. > :02:56.condition of Britain? I also suspect he sees more people in work in his
:02:57. > :03:01.constituency, more people bden constituency, more people bden
:03:02. > :03:05.helped into work. To tackle the root causes of poverty. Worklessness and
:03:06. > :03:08.educational attainment. This government remains committed to
:03:09. > :03:12.tackling the root cause is to make sure that children do not grow up
:03:13. > :03:16.affected by the plight of poverty. I think he would probably agrde that
:03:17. > :03:24.arbitrary considerations of whether someone is slightly over or under a
:03:25. > :03:26.financial income line by a latter of pounds doesn't change lights. What
:03:27. > :03:30.outlined by the Prime Minister in changes lives is tackling the
:03:31. > :03:38.outlined by the Prime Minister in his speech on Monday. Presulably
:03:39. > :03:43.they will access the findings of a number of organisations, most
:03:44. > :03:58.recently the resolution org`nisation of estimated that 600,000 children
:03:59. > :04:05.will move into poverty over the next four years. What discussions has she
:04:06. > :04:16.had with the Secretary of State for the DWP regarding the likelx impact
:04:17. > :04:20.a difference between asking a a difference between
:04:21. > :04:34.question and leading an adjournment debate. I would point out to the
:04:35. > :04:39.honourable gentleman that there are 11.8% of children living in workless
:04:40. > :04:47.households, which is down 4$. He might like to realise that there are
:04:48. > :05:03.176,000 women in Scotland who have been taken out of income tax since
:05:04. > :05:08.2010. Ministers regularly dhscuss matters of policy that span the
:05:09. > :05:16.responsibilities. This issud was debated very recently. Last week's
:05:17. > :05:24.in a unanimous vote with melbers on in a unanimous vote with melbers on
:05:25. > :05:32.all sides of the House callhng on the government to correct the
:05:33. > :05:41.unfairness of changing thesd rules. Can I gently refer the honotrable
:05:42. > :05:52.gentleman to the fact that the XT speaker said the government is not
:05:53. > :05:59.owned by any decisions made by a Backbench Business Committed. By
:06:00. > :06:07.setting out the new threshold 1 ,000 for auto enrolment it is suggested
:06:08. > :06:12.that millions of women will miss out on accessing their pensions. Will
:06:13. > :06:20.she support the independent pensions commission to
:06:21. > :06:24.look at all issues, including inequality is currently fachng women
:06:25. > :06:29.in the current system? Therd is a lot happening in the pensions world
:06:30. > :06:35.at present. We need to ensure that all of that goes through, r`ther
:06:36. > :06:39.than thinking of new innovations. Does the Minister share the Prime
:06:40. > :06:45.Minister's view that the good settlement for pensioners extends to
:06:46. > :06:50.1950s women and can he expl`in the best part of that settlement for
:06:51. > :06:55.them? Write back he will be aware that in 2011 there was a debate
:06:56. > :07:06.extension was reduced and that was extension was reduced and that was
:07:07. > :07:16.that the cost of ?1.1 billion to the Exchequer. I am disappointed in the
:07:17. > :07:26.response. She is correct th`t black week -- that last week's debate was
:07:27. > :07:30.not binding on the government, but will he not admit that the
:07:31. > :07:41.government has lost on this issue? Women born between 1953 and 195 now
:07:42. > :07:46.face a huge pensions gap. This issue was not in the manifesto for either
:07:47. > :07:55.the Labour Party or the SNP. Not surprising given that two under the
:07:56. > :07:58.2011 measures would cost ovdr ? 0 billion. If the honourable lady
:07:59. > :08:02.persists in the front bench of the opposition pursuing this policy
:08:03. > :08:12.what I think it is important is she outlines Briley would get ?30
:08:13. > :08:17.billion from. With your perlission, I will answer question ten with this
:08:18. > :08:22.question. My rent or more friend the Home Secretary take these m`tters
:08:23. > :08:29.very seriously. Last year, she commissioned the former reshns
:08:30. > :08:32.ombudsman to carry out a review of vulnerable people in detenthon. The
:08:33. > :08:39.government will take appropriate action in response to his
:08:40. > :08:46.recommendations. We look forward to hearing what Sir Stephen Sh`w has to
:08:47. > :09:01.say. What steps will she take as minister for quality to enstre the
:09:02. > :09:09.detention of these individu`ls comes to an end altogether? Pregn`nt women
:09:10. > :09:10.should only be detained in exceptional circumstances. Where are
:09:11. > :09:15.woman being detained, it is looked matter comes to light
:09:16. > :09:30.woman being detained, it is looked at with the utmost urgency. The 2014
:09:31. > :09:37.report on women in detention centres highlighted that many of thdm had
:09:38. > :09:43.been subjected to sexual violence. What steps is she taking to ensure
:09:44. > :09:46.these women are safe? Does she agree with me that the centres should not
:09:47. > :09:51.be detaining women at all and that should be a last resort? I would
:09:52. > :09:56.agree with the honourable gdntleman that detention should only be a very
:09:57. > :10:04.last resort. It is something that is regrettable in many ways we have to
:10:05. > :10:06.have detention. As part of fear immigration fair to all, detention
:10:07. > :10:10.is needed for exceptional circumstances that refuse to leave
:10:11. > :10:14.the country when you have bden ordered to do so. Women are treated
:10:15. > :10:22.with the utmost dignity and it is important that all in detention are
:10:23. > :10:26.treated with such dignity. Strong body confidence is obviouslx really
:10:27. > :10:31.important for both physical and mental health. The government is
:10:32. > :10:32.working with partners on projects such as media literacy to epuip
:10:33. > :10:37.young people to be resilient towards young people to be resilient towards
:10:38. > :10:47.unrealistic body image as the sea on print and on our screens. She will
:10:48. > :10:54.know that photographs in glossy magazines have been retouchdd by
:10:55. > :11:00.photo shop. In my case, you see what you get. Does my rubble fridnd not
:11:01. > :11:06.agree with me that perhaps there is a role to play in schools? Well
:11:07. > :11:12.part of what you see is what you get. We won't go into that. Is there
:11:13. > :11:15.a role to play in schools to educate children into realistic ide`s of
:11:16. > :11:23.Has status of an exotic member of what is possible and what is not?
:11:24. > :11:27.Has status of an exotic member of the House is not in doubt. H
:11:28. > :11:32.entirely agree. There is allost nothing you can do to enhance the
:11:33. > :11:42.appearance of my honourable friend, in my book anyway. Of coursd, he is
:11:43. > :11:48.absolutely right. We want young people to be informed, resilient,
:11:49. > :11:54.and that is why we aim to ilprove their media literacy. Guidance on
:11:55. > :12:00.body image helps teachers approach this topic sensitively and points
:12:01. > :12:03.them to the best quality assured materials. We produce a medha
:12:04. > :12:10.resource for parents to help them resource for parents to help them
:12:11. > :12:16.better promote understanding of the images young people see in the
:12:17. > :12:22.media. PwC estimates the cost of eating disorders to society is about
:12:23. > :12:29.?15 billion per year. What dxtra support measures either govdrnment
:12:30. > :12:33.putting in place for prevention and support for those currently facing
:12:34. > :12:40.eating disorders, to make stre this problem is tackled adequately? He is
:12:41. > :12:45.absolutely right. This is a key is you. Anorexia kills more th`n any
:12:46. > :12:49.other mental health illness. On Monday, the Prime Minister set out
:12:50. > :12:56.our commitment to invest in mental health services. We will invest
:12:57. > :13:01.nearly ?1 billion. There will be the first ever waiting time targets for
:13:02. > :13:06.teenagers with eating disorders They can get help with one lonth of
:13:07. > :13:20.being referred, or within a week for urgent cases. Young trans-pdople can
:13:21. > :13:22.suffer greatly in this issud. A report published today makes
:13:23. > :13:26.specific recommendations about how specific recommendations
:13:27. > :13:35.to improve the lives of young trans-people. Absolutely. I warmly
:13:36. > :13:38.welcome the report and thank the chairman of the select commhttee for
:13:39. > :13:45.the valuable work they have done on this important issue. This sends a
:13:46. > :13:49.clear signal of the importance of this issue. I look forward to
:13:50. > :13:52.working through this report carefully and thoughtfully with
:13:53. > :14:09.other departments. This government is clear th`t what
:14:10. > :14:17.is illegal offline is illeg`l online. The revenge pawn helpline
:14:18. > :14:30.has already supported 3000 collars since it was launched last February.
:14:31. > :14:45.It is there to help anyone. We will continue to support victims.
:14:46. > :14:50.It is important that those who are victims get the right support, but
:14:51. > :14:56.we won't go further, which hs to make sure through education and
:14:57. > :15:03.awareness this is a crime and it will not be tolerated. The hnternet
:15:04. > :15:08.can be a force of good, but it can also be a platform for abusd and in
:15:09. > :15:23.toleration. They have been successful in having content removed
:15:24. > :15:29.quickly from the internet. The fresh start agreement in Stormont already
:15:30. > :15:36.looks brighter with Arlene Foster in charge. Thank you for your comments.
:15:37. > :15:49.The press is still full of stories of revenge pornography incidents
:15:50. > :15:53.taking place. There is an increasing amount of this appearing online
:15:54. > :15:58.This is an offence that people are This is an offence that people are
:15:59. > :16:03.more aware of, but sadly th`t means there are more cases of it. That is
:16:04. > :16:10.why we have put in place thd helpline to offer support. This is
:16:11. > :16:14.not an acceptable way for pdople to behave. We need to give guidance to
:16:15. > :16:18.those who might potentially become victims, to think very carefully
:16:19. > :16:25.about images they might share and how they could then be abusdd. I
:16:26. > :16:28.have written to the European Commission and other member states,
:16:29. > :16:35.setting out our strong view that member state should have filled
:16:36. > :16:39.discretion not over what rate of VAT they can apply to sanitary products.
:16:40. > :16:43.This should be considered in the context of the action plan dxpected
:16:44. > :16:51.to be published in March of this year. The Minister should do more
:16:52. > :16:57.and take this issue forward. When he succeeds, as I'm sure he will, will
:16:58. > :17:06.he ensure the money he is ctrrently providing to domestic violence
:17:07. > :17:12.services will be met through general taxation issues? He will be aware
:17:13. > :17:20.that VAT rules currently do not allow us to reduce it below 5%. That
:17:21. > :17:26.is why when the previous Labour -- Labour Government reduced it to 5%
:17:27. > :17:29.and not 20. He highlights the fact that as the Chancellor annotnced in
:17:30. > :17:34.the Autumn Statement for thd first time, we are using the funds
:17:35. > :17:37.collected from VAT on sanit`ry products to provide support
:17:38. > :17:41.specifically to women's charities. We will review that in the dvent
:17:42. > :17:47.that we are able to reduce ht to a zero rate.
:17:48. > :17:53.The Minister will know that I voted with the party opposite on this
:17:54. > :18:00.issue. Is it not the case that those people who want to see a zero rate
:18:01. > :18:03.on their sanitary products `t the earliest opportunity should find the
:18:04. > :18:07.easiest way of doing that, which is by voting to leave the European
:18:08. > :18:14.Union, and it will reduce straight away? My honourable friend's answer
:18:15. > :18:20.to this question does not entirely surprised me. It is in fact his
:18:21. > :18:28.answer to quite a lot of qudstions. What I would say to him is that the
:18:29. > :18:31.Government is in gauging -- is engaging with other members states.
:18:32. > :18:48.The E Urals prevent us from lowering the rate below 5%. -- EU rules. It
:18:49. > :18:53.does not appear that this issue is being placed alongside the
:18:54. > :19:01.parameter's other issues, so we might not have a report back. Other
:19:02. > :19:05.Prime Minister or Chancellor come before the House to make a statement
:19:06. > :19:14.on it as they have done on other EU issues? The Chancellor of the
:19:15. > :19:23.when he made his Autumn Statement, we when he announced the donations
:19:24. > :19:27.to women's charities when hd raised the issue. This is an issue that the
:19:28. > :19:32.governorate is taking seriotsly As previous governments have done
:19:33. > :19:38.before, we are doing every thing we can and I think we are the first
:19:39. > :19:43.governor that has gone to Etropean Commission and make the casd
:19:44. > :19:47.flux of alerting. Can my honourable friend explain why this is not part
:19:48. > :19:51.of the Government's renegothating strategy taking base at the moment?
:19:52. > :19:55.Surely this country and this parliament should be able to decide
:19:56. > :19:58.levels of VAT, not just uns`nitary products but also on the fudl and
:19:59. > :20:05.under different related is `nd so on, which would be better if they
:20:06. > :20:13.did not have VAT at all. We are engaged in a wide ranging
:20:14. > :20:16.renegotiation, addressing issues about economic competitivendss and
:20:17. > :20:26.also the roles of Parliament and so on. This is not expertly part of
:20:27. > :20:30.that renegotiation, but it hs the case that we are, as a government,
:20:31. > :20:33.going and making the case to other member states and we will h`ve the
:20:34. > :20:40.report from the commission hn March, and we have made our position very
:20:41. > :20:44.clear. The funding that the Government is putting into services
:20:45. > :20:45.for women fleeing sexual and domestic wire and is has bedn
:20:46. > :20:52.described as like filling a bath with the plug pulled out. The tampon
:20:53. > :20:59.tax cannot possibly fill thd gap while across the country refuges are
:21:00. > :21:03.closing and special services are also closing. Can the Minister
:21:04. > :21:07.commit to a full review of the effect of the Government's fiscal
:21:08. > :21:11.policies on the availabilitx of services and publish the
:21:12. > :21:17.information? Can I make the point to the honourable member that we have
:21:18. > :21:22.already announced ?40 million worth of funding for domestic abuse
:21:23. > :21:28.services between 2016 and 2020. As well as a 2 million grant to
:21:29. > :21:38.charities that support earlx intervention. The remake thd point,
:21:39. > :21:41.in terms of the public finances the best future for the entire country
:21:42. > :21:45.is to make sure we have strong public finances, that we have got a
:21:46. > :21:49.credible economic policy, a long-term plan that delivers jobs
:21:50. > :21:55.and growth, and that is what this government is doing. I'm afraid that
:21:56. > :22:01.the Government's economic policies are not protecting women from
:22:02. > :22:08.violence. Research yesterdax, from the University of Lancaster showed
:22:09. > :22:13.that violent crime has been underreported and has been rising
:22:14. > :22:18.since 2009. That is as a result to cuts to services, cuts to the
:22:19. > :22:20.police, the lack of housing to move into, financial pressures on
:22:21. > :22:26.relationships, difficulties accessing justice. Will the Minister
:22:27. > :22:31.not recognise that the holistic effect places women in dangdr. Will
:22:32. > :22:37.the Government to take urgent action to address it? She makes thd point
:22:38. > :22:40.that domestic violence is underreported, and we accept that
:22:41. > :22:44.that is a problem, although the reporting has increased and indeed
:22:45. > :22:49.the number of convictions h`s increased. She also made thd point
:22:50. > :22:52.that there were cuts in polhce. As the Chancellor made clear in his
:22:53. > :22:58.Autumn Statement, because the economy is performing better than
:22:59. > :23:02.has been the case before, then the fact is we can afford not to cut the
:23:03. > :23:08.police funding over the course of this parliament. Again, I m`ke the
:23:09. > :23:16.point that is the Labour Party can say they are close to every cut and
:23:17. > :23:19.change we have made to bring spending under control, but if we do
:23:20. > :23:26.not do that, we will be in the crisis. That is what the 20
:23:27. > :23:30.election was fought on, and the result was clear. With permhssion,
:23:31. > :23:36.Mr Speaker, I'll answer this question with question 14. Bullying
:23:37. > :23:46.of any kind is not acceptable. There is no post for misogyny or trolling
:23:47. > :24:00.in society. There are websites to help reduce bullying, and there is a
:24:01. > :24:11.case for the... What conversations has she had with
:24:12. > :24:16.social media providers in rdgard to misogynistic online abuse and will
:24:17. > :24:24.she make a statement? I and other ministers, including the melber for
:24:25. > :24:29.providers all the time about the providers all the time about the
:24:30. > :24:32.sorts of issues. I welcome ` statement from a Twitter director
:24:33. > :24:37.recently, saying they were dealing better with trolls, but thex needed
:24:38. > :24:44.to do more. I will also recognise that their rock issues closdr to
:24:45. > :24:49.home. Her own party leader, at her party's conference in the attumn of
:24:50. > :24:55.last year, he had to appeal to activists, saying, cut out the
:24:56. > :24:56.personal attacks, the cyber bullying and especially the misogynistic
:24:57. > :25:04.abuse online. I hope her own party with regard to this
:25:05. > :25:09.issue. Mr Speaker, I ask thd Secretary of State, what evhdence is
:25:10. > :25:15.there of improved data colldction so that we know the true scale of this
:25:16. > :25:19.abuse? What evidence is there that police officers up and down the
:25:20. > :25:23.country are receiving appropriate training so that they know how to
:25:24. > :25:29.identify and deal with the perpetrators of this abuse? I would
:25:30. > :25:32.have to come back to the honourable gentleman, which I am happy to do,
:25:33. > :25:37.that the issue of data colldction. I mention some countries are better
:25:38. > :25:42.than others. There is a helpline which is monitoring and keeping
:25:43. > :25:47.data, which is due to be ev`luated in March of this year. As I have or
:25:48. > :25:51.be said, what is illegal off-line is illegal online. That is cle`r to all
:25:52. > :25:56.police forces up and down the country. We continue to makd that
:25:57. > :26:02.case to them. Does my right honourable friend agree that the
:26:03. > :26:11.increasing digital world th`t we live in makes it absolutely vital to
:26:12. > :26:16.help children, parents and carers deal with this file online `buse and
:26:17. > :26:21.cyber bullying? She is absolutely right. Of course, it is better to
:26:22. > :26:24.educate young people against any of this in the first place, to make
:26:25. > :26:28.sure they are bust and is at the end, if they do come across unwanted
:26:29. > :26:32.images or cyber bullying, and she is right to mention parents and carers
:26:33. > :26:37.in this. There are a range of websites and organisations that help
:26:38. > :26:46.parents to know how to disctss these issues with children, and wd have
:26:47. > :26:53.also to put -- invested 3.84 million, into a service which will
:26:54. > :26:56.provide support later this xear Will she recognise the huge amount
:26:57. > :27:02.of online bullying thing directed towards the trans-community, leading
:27:03. > :27:09.to high levels of mental he`lth and suicide in that community. We need a
:27:10. > :27:14.mature that this is tackled when she reviews the trans enquiry. He is a
:27:15. > :27:19.member of the select committee and I do warmly welcomed the
:27:20. > :27:22.land like report that is behng reported today. It has highlighted
:27:23. > :27:29.lots of action needed to be taken across government. I have all the
:27:30. > :27:39.mentioned social media, and the impact on social media, and the
:27:40. > :27:48.importance of the trans to take part in the community and the workplace.
:27:49. > :27:59.Question nine, Mr Speaker. I'm delighted that our constltation
:28:00. > :28:03.on closing the pay gap recehved around 700 punters, including 2 0
:28:04. > :28:05.from employers and business organisations. We will publhsh a
:28:06. > :28:14.response from the Government shortly. There has been excdllent
:28:15. > :28:17.work done in addressing the gender pay gap. Their rock regional
:28:18. > :28:23.differences was up in Telford, women in full-time work are earning 1 %
:28:24. > :28:29.less than men in full-time work I would like to ask the Minister what
:28:30. > :28:34.further action can be taken to address that kind of discrepancy? I
:28:35. > :28:36.thank her for that question. The gender pay gap regulations, when
:28:37. > :28:40.published and put into practice will help because they will make
:28:41. > :28:43.employers think about the issues and report on them. I will also
:28:44. > :28:50.encourage at two host an evdnt and hope constituency as a new lember of
:28:51. > :28:52.Parliament, she can highlight best practice. While she is narrowing the
:28:53. > :29:00.gap, she might like to think about the breakdown of industries in
:29:01. > :29:09.constituency and think about how we might get them on and -- we might
:29:10. > :29:12.get women involved in those. There is proportionate in the public
:29:13. > :29:19.sector, and in the sort of low paid jobs that the Prime Minister
:29:20. > :29:22.yesterday called menial. Wotld he agree with me that the failtre to
:29:23. > :29:29.publish a response to consultation six months later is disrespdctful to
:29:30. > :29:32.the many organisations and individuals who responded
:29:33. > :29:39.consultation in the hopes of doing something about the situation. I am
:29:40. > :29:42.sorry to hear her make both of those boys because it is not... Does macro
:29:43. > :29:52.both of those points. I think actually what peopld want is
:29:53. > :29:54.for us to get the Government response right, they want to make
:29:55. > :29:57.sure that we have thought through the regulations and the imp`ct. I
:29:58. > :30:02.said we will publish that shortly and that is what we will do. I hope
:30:03. > :30:06.that the Minister and the whole house will welcome the establishment
:30:07. > :30:12.of the all-party group on women and work, of which I am vice-ch`ir. I
:30:13. > :30:15.know that she said a member of staff to the day. I hope that she will
:30:16. > :30:20.resolve to work with the all-party group to look at the challenges
:30:21. > :30:30.faced by women, looking at looking after children and there is possible
:30:31. > :30:35.it is, looking at the gaps. I warmly welcome the parliament triggered.
:30:36. > :30:38.Another group has set up about women in enterprise. I am glad thdy are
:30:39. > :30:43.set up by parliamentarians. Of course, the ministers and I will
:30:44. > :30:50.work with all of the groups. She is right, the research yesterd`y, was
:30:51. > :30:57.evidence given to the all-p`rty group, it is harder to get back into
:30:58. > :31:03.the workplace after maternity leave. Number 11, Mr Speaker. On p`ge
:31:04. > :31:09.carers are the unsung heroes of our society. That is why the 2004 care
:31:10. > :31:11.act gave carers knew right `m focusing on their well-being,
:31:12. > :31:16.including their employment. In 015, the Government extended the right to
:31:17. > :31:20.request flexible working ard good and we are also investing ?0.6
:31:21. > :31:25.million in nine pilot sites, exploring ways to support pdople who
:31:26. > :31:28.are combining work and caring response of the 80s. I thank her for
:31:29. > :31:37.her response was up according to a recent report from the Department of
:31:38. > :31:47.Health, the costs have been estimated to be around...
:31:48. > :31:54.refers to was a landmark in demonstrating the business case for
:31:55. > :32:00.investing in camera friendlx policies. This government h`s been
:32:01. > :32:02.working to raise awareness `mongst employers of this issue and of the
:32:03. > :32:10.cost of leaving this issue unaddressed. The pilot schele, 1.6
:32:11. > :32:16.million, will be invaluable in helping us establish the rest forms
:32:17. > :32:19.of support for carers and also backing the employers for c`rers
:32:20. > :32:29.report, which provides resotrces to implement carer friendly policies.
:32:30. > :32:35.The government has announced ?4 million of funding for domestic
:32:36. > :32:42.abuse services, as well as ` ?2 million grant to support early
:32:43. > :32:51.intervention. We will shortly publish a strategy to identhfy how
:32:52. > :32:56.we will do more to identify long-term funding for these services
:32:57. > :33:00.and support for victims. Whhlst the government funding is welcole, a
:33:01. > :33:06.long-term sustainable appro`ch is needed. What discussions has the
:33:07. > :33:11.Minister had with service providers about long-term solutions and what
:33:12. > :33:24.does the Minister considered to be long-term in these situations? It is
:33:25. > :33:28.nice to see him there, even if not on the front bench. I have taken
:33:29. > :33:30.part in the number of round tables with service providers,
:33:31. > :33:33.commissioners and others to make sure we understand the issuds
:33:34. > :33:37.service providers and commissioners service providers and commissioners
:33:38. > :33:41.face and to look at the long-term solution. He right. Service
:33:42. > :33:45.providers need to know therd are funding is sustainable so they can
:33:46. > :33:57.continue delivering services and focus on victims. We appointed Lord
:33:58. > :34:05.Davies in 2010 and have fully supported his work. We welcomed his
:34:06. > :34:17.final report and back his ndw recommendations for business led 33%
:34:18. > :34:24.targets for FTS to boards. Could I ask what plans government House to
:34:25. > :34:26.ensure businesses of all sizes understand the financial and
:34:27. > :34:37.productivity benefits of having a diverse make up of senior tdams
:34:38. > :34:41.Companies with more diverse boards are more responsive to the larket
:34:42. > :34:46.and can access the wider talent pool. It is better for business We
:34:47. > :34:53.will progress with our business led government supported approach, but
:34:54. > :35:01.we are not complacent by anx means. We will continue to liaise with all
:35:02. > :35:07.sides to push this forward. There are gender differences over a range
:35:08. > :35:14.of health outcomes. Women lhve longer than men but that gap is
:35:15. > :35:24.closing. We are promoting hdalthier lifestyles. Action is led locally to
:35:25. > :35:30.ensure there are solutions to local gender and other health inepuality.
:35:31. > :35:37.Female suicide rates have ddcreased, but male suicide rates have remained
:35:38. > :35:45.stubbornly high. 130,000 men have committed suicide. What will she do
:35:46. > :35:53.with the Department of Health to tackle the serious problem? The
:35:54. > :36:06.Health Minister was keen to beat today but is at an LGB T conference.
:36:07. > :36:08.This is an important issue. The Prime Minister's commitment to
:36:09. > :36:19.invest in mental health services this week will be important in this
:36:20. > :36:20.space. Will the leader of the out campaign give us the business