Contributions
2,140 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGender Pay GapAs I said, at the moment it would not be right for me to comment on the pay gap because the figures are still coming in. We know that half of women are employed in the education,…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapThe hon. Lady knows that last year was the first year for reporting gender pay gap figures and this is the second. Although I am impatient to get the gap closed, we have to…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapI am very grateful to my hon. Friend for her question. At this time in our nation’s great history, where the public expect us to collaborate and get on with our business and to…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapMy hon. Friend makes an excellent point. This is not just about board level, although of course that is important; it is also about ensuring that women are paid properly and…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapIt starts much earlier than that. We must give girls the confidence to carry on with science, technology, engineering and maths in school. That is why we are doing so much work to…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapI must not comment on individual cases at the Dispatch Box, but I would certainly be happy to discuss that with my hon. Friend in due course. The message to academia is that we…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapOf course, that is a matter for the House, but I make this observation. I spend a great deal of my time persuading women to take the big step of coming into public life. I think…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapFirst, I think businesses realise that if they do not do as the public expect them to, they will face a great deal of public scrutiny and reputational damage. One employer, for…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapI share the hon. Gentleman’s concern about that. As I say, I will be writing shortly to every public sector employer reminding them of their duty to meet the deadline but also to…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapVery much so: drawing on a diverse pool of people for a business or organisational structure makes great business sense. The McKinsey report recently showed that having a diverse…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapI was not expecting that question. I welcome anyone who is committed to the drive to ensure more women and people from different backgrounds and ethnicities in our workplaces,…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapYes, of course. We are very keen to work with all our colleagues throughout the United Kingdom to ensure that businesses and employers are treating their female staff fairly,…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapThis is exactly the challenge that we are facing. We know that healthcare is one of the three sectors that employ 50% of the total number of working women. The NHS trusts…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapThus far, just under 50% of employers who fall within the gender pay gap reporting regime have issued their own action plans voluntarily. Because we want to bring business with…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapThe hon. Lady is right to raise this issue. That is why we were so keen to introduce free childcare for children aged three and above. I will happily raise the point about local…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapI expect them to look at the variety of diagnostic tools that are available on the gov.uk website, and to seek advice about how to better diagnose and then deal with their gender…04 Apr 2019HANSARDGender Pay GapFurther to that point of order, Mr Speaker. That was not the information I had just before I walked into the Chamber. I am advised that it was not on the gender pay gap portal. Of…04 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI share completely the views of, I think, most Members of this House that the victims of child sexual abuse, whether current or historical, deserve justice, deserve fairness, and…01 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. He will know how vital the work of the GLAA is to tackling modern slavery. I am working with my ministerial colleague to ensure that…01 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point; often, the emotional and mental effects of domestic abuse can be just as harmful as the physical effects. That is why we…01 Apr 2019