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1539404

registered interest
date	04/11/2022
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Regional Accents: Discrimination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on banning discrimination against someone because of their regional accent.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	79269
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2022 answer text <p>We have no plans for legislation to introduce new protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 nor is the scope of the Act a particularly good fit for those areas of life where people can experience bad treatment because of their accent.</p><p>However, advancing fairness in the workplace is a key priority for this Government. We have made it clear that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential. We recognise that employers stand the best chance of achieving this when they focus their efforts on effective actions which have a proven track record of improving diversity and inclusion.</p><p>We have taken on board the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) recommendations, and as part of the UK government’s response ‘Inclusive Britain’, Action 69 is the commitment to establish an Inclusion at Work Panel to examine the evidence to understand what actually works to improve inclusion in the workplace and to share that information with employers so they can take action.</p><p>Made up of a panel of academics and practitioners in business it will develop and disseminate effective resources to help employers drive fairness across organisations. This will go beyond just race and ethnicity to identify actions to promote fairness for all in the workplace. It will include a programme of research and workplace trials to provide a robust evidence base and root out poor quality training.</p><p>In addition, we have published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment</a>.</p><p>Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees, and has also published useful guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace that we encourage individuals and employers to consider when dealing with such matters. This is available at: <a href="https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied" target="_blank">https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied</a>.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 10/11/2022 17:06:07 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1539405

registered interest
date	04/11/2022
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Equality: Cost of Living
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of living on (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities, (c) disabled people, (d) single parents and (e) women with no recourse to public funds.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	79270
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2022 answer text <p>The government understands that families across the UK are worried about the cost of living, and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials. That is why the government has announced £37 billion of support for the cost of living this financial year, with most support going to those that need it most, regardless of their gender or ethnicity.</p><p>We have taken decisive action to support millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive £1200 of support this year through the £400 EBSS, £150 Council Tax rebate and one-off £650 Cost of Living Payment for those on means-tested benefits, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.</p><p>Over the summer, a number of meetings and focus groups have taken place to hear disabled people's experiences in relation to the rising cost of living. Alongside this officials from the Disability Unit continue to engage with stakeholders to build the evidence base on how cost of living is impacting disabled people. This information will feed into the government’s response.</p><p>With regards to those without recourse to public funds, there are strong and important safeguards in place to ensure vulnerable migrants who are destitute and have community care needs, including issues relating to human rights or where the wellbeing of children is in question, can receive support.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 09/11/2022 17:07:13 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1435665

registered interest
date	25/02/2022
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of the availability of childcare on the retention of mothers in the workforce.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	129905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>We recognise that access to, and the availability of, affordable childcare is a key factor in enabling women to enter, remain, and progress in the workplace. That is why this Government continues to support families with their childcare costs.</p><p>All three- and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, providing children with high-quality early education, and helping parents to return to work. We have also spent over £3.5bn in each of the past three years on early education entitlements; and, at the Spending Review in October 2021, we announced additional funding for early years entitlements worth £160m in 2022-23, £180m in 2023-24 and £170m in 2024-25.</p><p>The provision of affordable, high-quality childcare is just one way in which we are changing the culture of the workplace to ensure that parents can balance work and care. In addition, we have extended the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer.</p><p>Furthermore, the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when. We have recently launched an online tool to make it easier for parents to check if they are eligible for shared parental leave and pay.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 03/03/2022 14:19:28 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1435237

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Equal Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting employers from requesting salary history from new employees in an effort to help tackle the replication of pay gaps between organisations.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	129064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>There is growing evidence to show that, when pay is negotiable, asking applicants to disclose previous salary information increases the risk that historic disparities will be replicated. This is also the case when employers fail to provide clear salary information within their job adverts.</p><p>Both practices, when taken together, can limit an applicant’s ability to understand the value of their skills, and prevent them from negotiating on a level playing field. This can be particularly detrimental to those applicants who have been historically paid less, and who may not benefit from the informal sharing of pay information; ultimately putting them at a disadvantage during salary negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 07/03/2022 13:43:38 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1282050

registered interest
date	29/01/2021
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Employment: Sexual Harassment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the increase in incidents of online workplace sexual harassment.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	145744
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2021 answer text <p>Under the Equality Act 2010 employers have a legal responsibility to take all reasonable steps to protect their employees against workplace sexual harassment. If they fail to do so, the employer is vicariously liable for any sexual harassment committed by their employees during the course of their employment; this includes online.</p><p>The Government expects employers to take these responsibilities seriously. If they fail, employees can seek advice from ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) and, if necessary, take legal action in an Employment Tribunal.</p><p>Last year the Equality and Human Rights Commission, with the Government’s support, published guidance on harassment and sexual harassment at work. This made clear that employers should ensure policies on IT, communications systems and social media include appropriate warnings against online harassment and encourage workers to report it.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 10/02/2021 13:46:58 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1110002

registered interest
date	05/04/2019
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Equal Pay: Gender
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference the publication of the pay comparison data collected by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the gender pay gap; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	241408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>In 2017 we introduced ground-breaking regulations requiring large employers to publish their gender pay gaps annually. We have recently passed the second reporting deadline, and over 10,000 employers have provided their data. The Equality and Human Rights Commission will take action with those who have failed to report or provided inaccurate data.</p><p> </p><p>We are supporting employers to take action to reduce their gaps. We have recently published guidance on how to diagnose the causes of a gap and how to create an effective action plan.</p><p> </p><p>The government is also taking action to close the gender pay gap by making flexible working a reality for all employees, introducing Shared Parental Leave, supporting the Hampton-Alexander Review to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions, and doubling the childcare entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 10/04/2019 16:46:39 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick