:00:00. > :00:00.to the Labour Party support for them. Questions to the Minister for
:00:00. > :00:13.Women and Equalities. Question number one. The Secretary of State
:00:14. > :00:17.fully understand his obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and his
:00:18. > :00:20.public sector equality duty. He is aware that he must pay due regard to
:00:21. > :00:23.each of the statutory equality objectives. They cover all the
:00:24. > :00:27.protective characteristics and not just those that affect women. The
:00:28. > :00:30.new contract is a huge step forward to achieving fairness for all
:00:31. > :00:33.trainee doctors. The first time doctors will pupil paid and rewarded
:00:34. > :00:37.solely on the base of the own hard work and achievement whether they
:00:38. > :00:39.work full or part-time. Peer group pressure will be linked to the
:00:40. > :00:49.number of training. I have understood the minister was
:00:50. > :01:05.sitting to put this question was number 16? I received advice that
:01:06. > :01:10.was not possible. It is possible. Paul R Sheriff. I thank the Minister
:01:11. > :01:14.for his response, however by next year at the majority of doctors
:01:15. > :01:19.within our NHS will be women yet the Government has admitted in its own
:01:20. > :01:24.assessment of the junior doctor contract aspects of the new contract
:01:25. > :01:27.will disproportionately hit female doctors. How can the Department of
:01:28. > :01:33.women and equality is possibly condone this shocking treatment? Ice
:01:34. > :01:36.back the honourable lady for bringing this matter to the
:01:37. > :01:40.attention of the house and I know she won't want to read the full
:01:41. > :01:46.assessment over the weekend and find that if she does so the impact
:01:47. > :01:50.assessment makes clear that contract is good for woman, a fairer
:01:51. > :01:55.contract, and it does not directly or indirectly discriminate against
:01:56. > :02:00.women. That is why I am keen to see it implemented as fast as possible.
:02:01. > :02:07.Thank you for ruining my question in order. What estimate has been made
:02:08. > :02:10.in the expected drop in women doctors five years after this
:02:11. > :02:15.contact has been imposed on how were the skills gap be filled? Because we
:02:16. > :02:20.anticipate this contract is better for women in a series of different
:02:21. > :02:24.ways we expect women to be able to engage more easily with the
:02:25. > :02:28.workforce than other the previous contract and we believe it is better
:02:29. > :02:33.for working mothers, woman taking time out for maternity leave and for
:02:34. > :02:39.those reasons we hope this will reinforce the continued progression
:02:40. > :02:42.of women in the medical workforce. Can the Minister confirm the new
:02:43. > :02:48.contract will mean those who work the most insights and unsocial hours
:02:49. > :02:53.will be better rewarded? I can confirm that and it will also mature
:02:54. > :02:56.women will not be subjected to the enormously onerous hours which are
:02:57. > :03:03.enforced under the current contract which make the balance of work and
:03:04. > :03:07.family life impossible. Can my honourable friend and from under the
:03:08. > :03:12.existing contract to doctors doing the same job at the same level of
:03:13. > :03:16.responsibility and save hours can be paid differently but under the new
:03:17. > :03:21.contract the total number of hours that can be work will be reduced
:03:22. > :03:26.from 91 to 72 and this will be especially welcome by female doctors
:03:27. > :03:30.was like I can confirm that and it shows my honourable friend attention
:03:31. > :03:36.to detail for the contract. It should be made clear to the house
:03:37. > :03:39.the BMA agreed almost all of the contract we are now putting in
:03:40. > :03:46.place, including many of the aspects of the opposition are seeking to
:03:47. > :03:51.attack. I am surprised to hear both the minister today and the Prime
:03:52. > :03:55.Minister yesterday and Prime Minister 's's questions clinic this
:03:56. > :03:59.contact is good for a woman when the equality and fact assessment
:04:00. > :04:05.provided by the Minister's or officials specifically says it will
:04:06. > :04:10.have a disproportionate impact on woman and the Minister will not be
:04:11. > :04:13.surprised to hear I have read the assessment in detail. Can I ask the
:04:14. > :04:18.Minister how it can be right to introduce a contract and is it in
:04:19. > :04:22.Parliament in February and on the stake out the equality impact
:04:23. > :04:29.assessment six weeks later, during a recess. -- sneak out. Will he now
:04:30. > :04:33.get back to the negotiating table and negotiate a contract good for
:04:34. > :04:38.patients and all junior doctors? The honourable lady is an expert in the
:04:39. > :04:42.history of equality impact assessments and she understand it
:04:43. > :04:45.well and I must reassure the bat through the entirety of this process
:04:46. > :04:49.the secretary of state as being mindful of his duties under the act
:04:50. > :04:54.and he is very keen to make sure this conflict is good for women
:04:55. > :04:59.which is why at every stage, both in negotiations with the BMA as in
:05:00. > :05:02.several discussions, he was mindful of his duties and make sure the
:05:03. > :05:06.contract is an improvement on existing one. We can return to
:05:07. > :05:10.negotiations with a party that does not wish to talk and I would urge
:05:11. > :05:14.her to get her colleagues to condemn the completely unnecessary action at
:05:15. > :05:25.the BMA has taken, endangering patients. Web promotion I will take
:05:26. > :05:33.this question along with number six. -- with permission. The new state
:05:34. > :05:38.pension is more generous to many woman than the previous system. In
:05:39. > :05:41.the first ten years and 650,000 women were losing ?8 per week more
:05:42. > :05:50.on average due to the new state pension valuation. -- well earned
:05:51. > :05:55.that. -- will air an eight more a week. Is the Minister aware of the
:05:56. > :06:00.case of a Dutch woman who was affected with the change to her
:06:01. > :06:05.retirement age and it was about that woman had her human rights breached.
:06:06. > :06:09.Could the ministers say everything is woman in this country have had
:06:10. > :06:13.their human rights breach by the actions of his Government? May edit
:06:14. > :06:20.out the honourable lady she will be aware the Dutch authorities are
:06:21. > :06:23.appealing that decision. Nobody denies the state pension age needed
:06:24. > :06:29.transitional arrangements that the Government have have not put in
:06:30. > :06:33.place that has caused much consternation and I kept wondering
:06:34. > :06:37.that is cynical calculation has been made that these would anyone have
:06:38. > :06:41.reached time it is by the next general election. But the Government
:06:42. > :06:48.genuinely believed the transitional arrangements are fair, yes or no?
:06:49. > :06:52.The transitional arrangements put in place in 2011 were debated in both
:06:53. > :06:56.houses, the honourable gentleman will be aware that initially it was
:06:57. > :07:01.proposed the equalisation should be fast tracked by two years. Subject
:07:02. > :07:05.to various debates following intensive negotiations that was
:07:06. > :07:10.reduced to 18 months at a cost to the Treasury of ?1.1 billion.
:07:11. > :07:16.Transitional arrangements were made in 2011 and the Government has no
:07:17. > :07:22.plans to renew it. This is about women and equalities and we know the
:07:23. > :07:26.situation today is a woman born in early 1950s it will already have
:07:27. > :07:31.retired, a woman born in early 1954 is not gone to retire after the
:07:32. > :07:38.second half of 2019, two and years later. That be right. What the
:07:39. > :07:43.Minister not look at this again. -- that can be right. And give solace
:07:44. > :07:48.to the woman with the unfair amount of time to collect the pension? We
:07:49. > :07:52.must accept equalisation was necessarily because we were required
:07:53. > :07:57.to do so by European Union directive and also be part living longer,
:07:58. > :08:01.woman on the whole recognise we need to equalise the state pension age
:08:02. > :08:06.and we are actually not as fast as some other countries such as Germany
:08:07. > :08:12.and Denmark, who have already achieved where we are still seeking
:08:13. > :08:18.to go. Following the resignation of the previous Secretary of State for
:08:19. > :08:24.Work Pensions. The pensions minister stated he was often
:08:25. > :08:28.obstructed by efforts to resolve important issues, such as an woman's
:08:29. > :08:33.pensions. Now the main impediment to change has been removed from
:08:34. > :08:36.Government, when can we expect an update on the progress for these
:08:37. > :08:39.women have been unfairly treated for so long? I do not agree with the
:08:40. > :08:43.assessment of the honourable lady and an hat I have said in my
:08:44. > :08:47.previous answer the Government does not intend to do this because it was
:08:48. > :09:00.heavily debated and dealt with in 2011. Are you intending to a second
:09:01. > :09:03.question? She is. I thank the Minister for his response but it
:09:04. > :09:07.begs the question, what is the purpose of this the Bartlett and
:09:08. > :09:13.indeed this ministerial role if it is not addressing the inequalities
:09:14. > :09:18.that exist in this country? We have a 40 bits on the issue, 186,000
:09:19. > :09:24.people have signed a petition, we voted in this house to greet the
:09:25. > :09:28.policy is unfair and after all of this why is the Minister still
:09:29. > :09:34.prepared to defend an indefensible position? The honourable lady was
:09:35. > :09:40.not in the house in 2011 but this issue was heavily debated and the
:09:41. > :09:43.vote taken any Backbench Business Committee, she knows only too well
:09:44. > :09:48.the point of order was raised after that the bit and the person sitting
:09:49. > :09:52.in the chair at the time happen to be discussed and former chairman of
:09:53. > :09:58.the Backbench Business Committee and she made it clear votes taken after
:09:59. > :10:06.votes tabled by the Backbench Business Committee are not binding
:10:07. > :10:13.by the Government. With permission I would like to group this question
:10:14. > :10:19.with the question ten. The 20 16th budget to help 790,000 women and
:10:20. > :10:24.540,000 men by cutting their contacts to zero. It helped 7.4
:10:25. > :10:27.million women and 5.6 million men with an increase in the state
:10:28. > :10:33.pension thanks to travel a lot, millions of men and women by
:10:34. > :10:38.freezing fuel duty and the national living wage gave an immediate pay
:10:39. > :10:47.rise to 900,000 women and I men this month. -- 500,000 men. The Labour
:10:48. > :10:54.Party has commissioned research showing since 2010 86% of the total
:10:55. > :10:59.amount of cash saved from benefit changes are comparable woman,
:11:00. > :11:03.disproportionately. That has now increased by 5%. How much more do
:11:04. > :11:10.women have to take the brunt of this Government before action is taken?
:11:11. > :11:15.Are we completely do not accept this analysis which, by the way, has not
:11:16. > :11:20.been published and appears to take into account the fact that the child
:11:21. > :11:27.benefit of higher rate women like myself has been removed. Busy making
:11:28. > :11:33.the case that higher rates child benefit should be returned to higher
:11:34. > :11:42.rates the taxpayers. -- is he making the case? It has not even been
:11:43. > :11:46.published and similar analysis assumes extra Government borrowing
:11:47. > :11:52.can make everybody better off. That does sound like the Labour Party.
:11:53. > :11:57.The Government's own figures show since 2010 women have, there has
:11:58. > :12:03.been a big drop in women taking cases to the tribunal, more than
:12:04. > :12:08.10,000. In that same period there has been at increase in men taking
:12:09. > :12:12.cases to the tribunal. Can the minister explain these figures? I
:12:13. > :12:18.would of thought she would welcome the fact that the gender pay gap is
:12:19. > :12:25.narrowing so much and the steps we have taken any 20 16th budget would
:12:26. > :12:29.increase the pay of 900,000 women mean that gender pay gap at the
:12:30. > :12:34.lowest paid well have been eliminated by 2020. Does the
:12:35. > :12:37.Minister agree the Chancellor's measures on small business rates
:12:38. > :12:44.will be massively beneficial to businesses around the country? I
:12:45. > :12:49.agree with the honourable gentleman and would also point out that we are
:12:50. > :12:54.also making substantial progress in terms of the number of women owns
:12:55. > :12:57.and women managed businesses in this country, something I believe will
:12:58. > :13:06.also lead to greater gender equality. On the set of the house we
:13:07. > :13:10.welcome the budget announcement about the removal of VAT on tampons,
:13:11. > :13:17.a campaign led by my honourable friend. However given that the
:13:18. > :13:21.Chancellor previously reassured me that ?15 million raised from this
:13:22. > :13:27.tax would be providing funds to domestic violence charities and
:13:28. > :13:33.woman's refuges, canny minister clarify at the budget included a ?15
:13:34. > :13:36.million cut the woman was like charities. -- can the Minister
:13:37. > :13:42.confirm. And where is the Government's plan for long-term
:13:43. > :13:47.woman was like safety? I can confirm the ?15 million in budget 2016 will
:13:48. > :13:51.be allocated to the charities he announced and we have also announced
:13:52. > :13:54.a further ?80 million and Serbs of support for these kinds of
:13:55. > :14:04.initiatives to tackle violence against women. Number five, Mr
:14:05. > :14:09.Speaker. I want to start by thanking the equality and human rights
:14:10. > :14:12.commission for their research and the report. The Government had
:14:13. > :14:17.accepted the majority of the recommendations and will work with
:14:18. > :14:22.them and employers to put up discrimination against pregnant
:14:23. > :14:27.women in the workplace. I welcome the Minister's answer. I am aware of
:14:28. > :14:31.a number of cases of new mothers in my constituency who have lost their
:14:32. > :14:35.job after giving birth or experience other form of discrimination at
:14:36. > :14:39.work. Well he set out a timescale for the implementation of the
:14:40. > :14:45.recommendations from the equalities and human rights work and will be
:14:46. > :14:48.set up an opportunity, create an opportunity for a debate on that
:14:49. > :14:54.work and those recommendations in the house? I am very happy to take
:14:55. > :14:59.up what the mood of the house the possibility of such a debate because
:15:00. > :15:04.I would welcome it and I think this report made for some depressing
:15:05. > :15:07.reading in some respects. While it was welcomed at 84% of employers
:15:08. > :15:12.think it is important to support pregnant woman and new mothers, it
:15:13. > :15:16.was depressing that three in four mothers interviewed said they had a
:15:17. > :15:20.negative or possibly discover that only experienced during pregnancy.
:15:21. > :15:24.We must achieve is a wholesale change in culture and that is why I
:15:25. > :15:28.would resist putting a time frame on the implementation of the changing
:15:29. > :15:31.culture because governments on their own can change that culture but I
:15:32. > :15:38.think a debate on how we can all work together to do so would be very
:15:39. > :15:45.welcome. Many women still face difficult decisions when it comes to
:15:46. > :15:49.having a child and in places like London warehouse prices are very
:15:50. > :15:53.high working part-time is not an option. What is Government doing to
:15:54. > :15:57.encourage businesses to approach a moderate report and balance work and
:15:58. > :16:02.family life with flexible hours were possible?
:16:03. > :16:09.That I know he will welcome the introduction of the right to request
:16:10. > :16:12.flexible working and also the Government interventions to provide
:16:13. > :16:17.further childcare support for working women of all ages and of all
:16:18. > :16:22.income levels and I do believe that will help women who want to be able
:16:23. > :16:23.to balance indentured in the workplace with bringing up young
:16:24. > :16:38.children. I will answer this question would
:16:39. > :16:40.question eight. We want every young person regardless of their sexual
:16:41. > :16:44.orientation to reach their full potential. That is why in March I
:16:45. > :16:50.announced a further million pound front to address homophobic, trans
:16:51. > :17:01.phobic bullying in addition to what I announced in 2014. Research
:17:02. > :17:06.showing that 35% of young LGBT children experiencing bullying, what
:17:07. > :17:12.else will they be doing to ensure those issues are covered in the
:17:13. > :17:19.curriculum as well? He is right to say about the 55% figure. That is a
:17:20. > :17:23.drop from 65% in 2007 but we cannot be complacent. 96% of LGB pupils
:17:24. > :17:32.reported hearing homophobic language in school in 2012. Some excellent
:17:33. > :17:36.new guidance has been produced on diversity and relationships in their
:17:37. > :17:37.programme of study. As well that the support for helping teachers to
:17:38. > :17:49.tackle issues around bullying, it is targeted at LGBT pupils and
:17:50. > :17:59.all of their colleagues and it is very important. The Albert Kennedy
:18:00. > :18:05.trust, the research has identified that 24% of the homeless youth
:18:06. > :18:08.population are LGBT. That is a very disturbing figure but the Government
:18:09. > :18:12.is planning to cut housing benefit for people under the age of 21. Does
:18:13. > :18:19.the Secretary of State think that the situation is going to get worse
:18:20. > :18:26.or better for those young people? As he says we have given 48,000 pounds
:18:27. > :18:30.to the Albert Kennedy trust in 2014-15 to develop a national online
:18:31. > :18:33.mentoring service. We have also predicted Thomas responding,
:18:34. > :18:37.provincial funding for local authorities totalling ?313 million
:18:38. > :18:45.by the end of this Parliament. Transit young people experience on
:18:46. > :18:48.-- trans. Unacceptable does commission in our country. Three
:18:49. > :18:50.months ago the women and equality his search Committee published a
:18:51. > :18:56.ground breaking report outlining more than 30 recommendations to
:18:57. > :19:02.improve the lives of trans people. When can we expect a response from
:19:03. > :19:05.the Government? Can I thank my Right Honourable friend very much indeed?
:19:06. > :19:07.I had the pleasure last week of visiting the young transgender
:19:08. > :19:11.centre of excellence that has just been opened by the LGBT centre in
:19:12. > :19:16.Leicester funded by the BBC children in need. She is right to mention the
:19:17. > :19:18.ground-breaking report that hurt Committee published. She mentioned
:19:19. > :19:24.the 30 recommendations we are through. I'm sure she like me was to
:19:25. > :19:28.make sure that when we respond we do so in a full and open way. The
:19:29. > :19:31.report is going to very significant changes to the law, context changes
:19:32. > :19:35.to the NHS and changes to policy practices for more than a dozen
:19:36. > :19:39.public bodies and want to make sure we get the response rate. This
:19:40. > :19:44.government and the Prime Minister in particular have done great things
:19:45. > :19:48.for equality for LGBT people particularly with regard to gay
:19:49. > :19:56.marriage but there is still one area of terrible inequality. The area is
:19:57. > :20:01.that you can have a promiscuous straight man having sex with
:20:02. > :20:06.different women every night yet they can give blood. You can have a gay
:20:07. > :20:13.guy in a monogamous relationship and yet he is completely forbidden to
:20:14. > :20:19.donate blood unless he is prepared to certify that he has been celibate
:20:20. > :20:26.for 12 months. This is medical and scientific nonsense. It is also
:20:27. > :20:30.unfair. When will this change? Can I thank him very much indeed? We have
:20:31. > :20:34.discussed this before and I have disgusted cerebral times now with
:20:35. > :20:41.the Minister for health and I know -- discussed it several times. We
:20:42. > :20:49.have looked at the lifetime ban on blood donation. As he will note the
:20:50. > :20:52.setting of guidelines is reviewing the evidence and policy and we will
:20:53. > :21:01.expect to hear sooner rather than later. Earlier this year LGBT mental
:21:02. > :21:08.health charity pace was forced to close citing cuts to the local
:21:09. > :21:11.authority budget as a major factor. Given it had previously identified
:21:12. > :21:15.that more than a third of LGBT young people had made at least one suicide
:21:16. > :21:21.attempt to their own life, does the Minister share my concerns about the
:21:22. > :21:28.level of mental health support currently available to LGBT people?
:21:29. > :21:32.Can I thank her for her question? I think members across the House will
:21:33. > :21:35.know of my long-standing interest in mental health issues to all young
:21:36. > :21:39.people and the priority we give that in the Department for Education and
:21:40. > :21:46.also into the Government equalities office. In the current financial
:21:47. > :21:52.year we provided a 4.9 million pounds to 17 voluntary civil society
:21:53. > :21:56.projects, for children with mental health issues including almost a
:21:57. > :21:58.quarter million pounds to the Metrocentre to establish services
:21:59. > :22:01.and those people working across London and Kent. We are looking at
:22:02. > :22:05.what we can do in this financial year to make sure that services will
:22:06. > :22:07.continue to be funded and I will work with my colleagues in the
:22:08. > :22:19.dependent -- in the Department of Health to make sure that all ages
:22:20. > :22:34.get the support they need. Caught by surprise, thank you. Last July...
:22:35. > :22:39.Just to say, question 11. Build-up. We are absolutely committed to
:22:40. > :22:42.emulating the gender came back with the new generation with where we
:22:43. > :22:46.require larger employers to publish the gender pay and bonus caps as
:22:47. > :22:51.well. We will support all businesses to do this regardless of their size
:22:52. > :22:54.with a happy million pounds package including UK wide conference events,
:22:55. > :22:57.online software and of course targeted support to some of the male
:22:58. > :23:06.dominated sectors. We also have the think act report initiative which is
:23:07. > :23:10.available to businesses of any size. Last July the Prime Minister
:23:11. > :23:13.promised that companies with more than 250 employees would have to
:23:14. > :23:17.disclose their gender pay gap. This has already been pushed back by two
:23:18. > :23:19.month and is a rip the chartered Institute of personnel and
:23:20. > :23:23.development found that only one in four firms has done any analysis on
:23:24. > :23:29.this at all. Does the Minister think progress on this is good enough and
:23:30. > :23:33.what is going to be done about it? Of course this is more progress than
:23:34. > :23:37.we have had in any previous government but the Government is not
:23:38. > :23:41.complacent about this. The gender pay gap is at the lowest on record
:23:42. > :23:45.and virtually eliminated by women working full-time under the age of
:23:46. > :23:49.40 but this is why we have brought forward this quite demanding
:23:50. > :23:52.regulation, larger employers will have to publish both their gender
:23:53. > :23:56.pay gap and their bonus pay gap and why we have released a big package
:23:57. > :24:01.of support to enable us to support them through this progress. Since
:24:02. > :24:05.the Government introduced tribunal fee is the number of equal pay
:24:06. > :24:09.claims has fallen dramatically. The Government talks the talk on equal
:24:10. > :24:17.pay but why are they making it more difficult for women to challenge
:24:18. > :24:20.unfair pay claims? First of all we are reviewing this at the moment.
:24:21. > :24:26.But the honourable gentleman must be aware that actually many more cases
:24:27. > :24:29.are going through ACAS, over 80,000 cases last year and surely he would
:24:30. > :24:37.agree that actually it is much better sorting something out in a
:24:38. > :24:40.mediation, in a friendly and consolidate three way so that people
:24:41. > :24:51.are able to go back into their workplace without the stigma or any
:24:52. > :24:56.form of hostility. The Government set out its assessment of the impact
:24:57. > :24:59.on the welfare policies in the welfare reform and work act on the
:25:00. > :25:04.20th of July last year. Spending in real terms on disabled people will
:25:05. > :25:12.be higher in every year to the 20 dan 2010. The Select Committee 's
:25:13. > :25:17.report published last month that the Government through inaction on the
:25:18. > :25:23.equality through spending cuts, cuts to legal aid and its red cape
:25:24. > :25:25.challenge removing protections is disproportionately hurting disabled
:25:26. > :25:31.people. Will this government apologise by the lack of respect and
:25:32. > :25:38.complete content to disabled people? -- contempt. This government is
:25:39. > :25:41.spending ?50 billion every year on benefits along to support people
:25:42. > :25:45.with disabilities or health condition. That is over 6% of
:25:46. > :25:54.government spending. I think that answers the question very clearly.
:25:55. > :25:59.Research by Unison indicates that no group will be more adversely
:26:00. > :26:04.affected by welfare reform than people with disabilities. We are at
:26:05. > :26:08.risk of progressing on issues of equality. When will the Government
:26:09. > :26:15.actively keyed the voice of people with disabilities and reverse these
:26:16. > :26:18.damaging policies? May just remind the honourable lady that this
:26:19. > :26:25.government has done more for disabled people than any government
:26:26. > :26:29.before? I have just stated the amount of money for stop I just
:26:30. > :26:34.stated the amount of money that this government is spending and may I
:26:35. > :26:39.just say that under this government there are now over a 3.2 million
:26:40. > :26:42.disabled people in employment. Employment is something that helps
:26:43. > :26:45.people have more fulfilled lives. We didn't give up on people, we don't
:26:46. > :26:58.give up on people like the parties opposite.
:26:59. > :27:03.The honourable gentleman will be aware that there is a
:27:04. > :27:05.post-implantation review of the introduction of fees in the
:27:06. > :27:09.employment tribunal 's. This will consider so far as possible the
:27:10. > :27:12.impact the fees have had on those with the characteristics who use the
:27:13. > :27:19.Roman tribune yours and it heads of case they bring. The review has
:27:20. > :27:23.apparently be on the Minister desk since every so I hope we hear the
:27:24. > :27:27.outcome soon. According to the equality and Human Rights Commission
:27:28. > :27:32.less than 1% of the charity disco commission clears proceed to an
:27:33. > :27:35.employment tribunal. 99 of every 100 and who are discriminated against
:27:36. > :27:41.because of the busy having no legal redress. If the measure proud of
:27:42. > :27:43.that or is it? May I say to him that pregnancy and maternity
:27:44. > :27:49.discrimination is unlawful and totally unacceptable. That is why
:27:50. > :27:51.this government and the equality and humanise commission jointly funded
:27:52. > :27:56.independent research into the matter. I can assure the honourable
:27:57. > :27:59.gentleman but the review taking place at the moment will take into
:28:00. > :28:10.account some of the findings of that research. Increasing diversity is
:28:11. > :28:13.essential for appointing the best public people to our boards. We are
:28:14. > :28:18.making real progress in increasing the number of women appointed with
:28:19. > :28:26.44% of new appointments in 2014-15 made to women, up from 39% in
:28:27. > :28:29.2013-14. The steps we have taken to increase diversity include
:28:30. > :28:33.streamlining the application process, increasing awareness of
:28:34. > :28:39.opportunities to outreach and other events, a central website and use of
:28:40. > :28:42.social media. We have introduced unconscious bias training for senior
:28:43. > :28:49.personnel in the Cabinet office including permanent secretaries and
:28:50. > :28:54.senior ministers. I thank him for that confluence of reply which was
:28:55. > :28:57.preceded by supplementary, but I would like to mention that I wonder
:28:58. > :29:02.whether it is a lack of confidence in some cases that inhibits women
:29:03. > :29:04.from making an application for public appointment and whether
:29:05. > :29:08.perhaps more can be done to communicate the woman that their
:29:09. > :29:14.applications are indeed encouraged and will be successful? It is
:29:15. > :29:20.important that we get the best people into or public appointments
:29:21. > :29:23.and women play an absolutely crucial role in doing that. What we have
:29:24. > :29:28.done is we have received recently a report from Sir Jerry Brimstone and
:29:29. > :29:31.that was designed to make appointment process is much more
:29:32. > :29:37.efficient, much more effective and streamlined. I can tell my
:29:38. > :29:41.honourable friend that we have now hit the highest figures ever
:29:42. > :29:44.recorded for women in public appointments but we haven't done
:29:45. > :29:56.enough. We still want to go much further and we want to hit that
:29:57. > :29:59.target of 50% we have set ourselves. Closing the gender pay gap is of
:30:00. > :30:04.course good for women but also employers and our economy which is
:30:05. > :30:07.why we require large employers to publish their pay gap data.
:30:08. > :30:11.Occupational segregation is one of the main causes of that pay gap and
:30:12. > :30:14.that is why we have announced an ambition to see a 20% increase in
:30:15. > :30:24.girls taking A-level maths and science by 2020. A continuing cause
:30:25. > :30:28.of the pay gap is the lower incidence of woman studying science
:30:29. > :30:34.and engineering at University banned men. To close that it gap is a
:30:35. > :30:41.pre-requisite to closing the pay gap, which she agree? He is
:30:42. > :30:45.absolutely right that jobs in stem gather a significant wage premium
:30:46. > :30:48.and while women make up 50% of stem undergraduates that doesn't
:30:49. > :30:52.translate into the workplace, which is why we have set up a new career
:30:53. > :30:54.as an enterprise company bringing schools and businesses together to
:30:55. > :30:59.inspire and inform young people but also published guidance called your
:31:00. > :31:00.daughter's future to help parents guide their daughters in subject and
:31:01. > :31:09.career choices. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The committee
:31:10. > :31:13.reimportant on the gender pay gap showed strong and compelling
:31:14. > :31:17.evidence that increasing the availability of well paid flexible
:31:18. > :31:20.work would make a significant difference to reducing the gender
:31:21. > :31:26.pay gap. What is the Government going to be doing to make flexible
:31:27. > :31:29.work easy and to encourage employers to offer it from the date of
:31:30. > :31:35.appointment rather than having to wait six months? Well, the
:31:36. > :31:38.honourable lady is right, which is why this Government has done more
:31:39. > :31:43.than any before to extend the right to flexible working to all
:31:44. > :31:46.employees. We will continue to work with businesses to encourage them to
:31:47. > :31:53.get the very best out of every single one of their staff. Mr
:31:54. > :31:56.Speaker, the private sector has made progress in gender equality in
:31:57. > :32:02.recent years. There is a big problem. Research has proven there
:32:03. > :32:06.are more man called Andrew, David and John in senior positions in the
:32:07. > :32:12.FTSE-100 than there are women. What more can the Government to do to
:32:13. > :32:16.insenz tiez good practise and better gender equality in the FTSE-100?
:32:17. > :32:23.Yes, Mr Speaker, the answer is not to change the name of the men as
:32:24. > :32:27.somebody has suggested! More Carolines!
:32:28. > :32:31.The honourable gentleman is right, which is why this Government has
:32:32. > :32:38.done more than ever before tone courage the FTSE-100 to address that
:32:39. > :32:43.issue. We now have no all-male boards in the FTSE-100. The next
:32:44. > :32:47.stage is to look at this pipeline and make sure we are encouraging
:32:48. > :32:51.women every step to make sure we have more women on board than ever
:32:52. > :32:57.before. THE SPEAKER: The shadow leader of
:32:58. > :33:01.the House. Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming
:33:02. > :33:06.business, please? Mr Speaker if you allow me to say that I think the
:33:07. > :33:10.shadow leader, myself and the SNP spokesman all have something in
:33:11. > :33:13.common this morning. We should feel anxious after the march of the
:33:14. > :33:18.deputies before the recess. I would like to congratulate all three for
:33:19. > :33:25.doing a star turn in that last session before recess. There will be
:33:26. > :33:28.another opportunity as well. Monday 18th April there'll be a debate on
:33:29. > :33:31.the introduction of the national living wage and related changes to
:33:32. > :33:32.employee