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1182440

registered interest
date	03/03/2020
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	Veganism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the 3 January ruling by Justice Robin Postle that veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical belief and is therefore protected under the Equality Act 2010, what plans they have to amend that Act.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>A series of tribunal readings since 2010 mean that protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010 include not only ethical veganism but belief in Scottish independence, anti-fox hunting, democratic socialism and the higher purpose of public sector broadcasting. I therefore agree with my Noble Friend that the scope of philosophical belief will be included in any future decisions the government takes about possible changes to the act.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 17/03/2020 11:38:09 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1182477

registered interest
date	03/03/2020
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	Transgender People: Equality
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about amendments to its guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to help providers of services understand how to handle requests for access to services and facilities from transgender people.
tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
uin	HL2179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>Those seeking to rely on the protections and exemptions contained in the Equality Act 2020 must be able to do so with confidence and clarity. The Equality and Human Rights Commission's statutory codes of practice on the Equality Act 2010 explain the provisions of the Act and the EHRC is responsible for updating these codes as necessary.</p><p>This Government has been clear that we must take the right steps to protect safe single-sex spaces for women and girls; their access should not be jeopardised. Some women's organisations have expressed concern that predatory men may abuse the gender recognition system, intended to support transgender adults. We have heard these concerns and are considering carefully our next steps.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 17/03/2020 11:39:12 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1181089

registered interest
date	26/02/2020
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	International Women's Day
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark UN International Women’s Day on 8 March.
tabling member printed	Baroness Mone
uin	HL1947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2020 answer text <p>International Women’s Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in the UK and across the globe.</p><p>As you are aware, the UK Parliament has held debates in both Houses to mark this important event. The House of Commons debate was led by the Minister for Women and Equalities, Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, who delivered the opening statement. Maria Caulfield MP closed the debate.</p><p>I opened the House of Lords debate as the Minister for Women, and it was closed by Baroness Sugg. Thank you for your personal contribution.</p><p>The Prime Minister hosted an International Women’s Day Reception in Downing Street on Thursday 5 March where he gave a speech and took part in a panel discussion with inspirational women from across a range of sectors. Representatives from business, science, and sport, among other areas, attended, alongside school pupils.<em> </em></p><p>International Women’s Day is an important moment and receives significant press attention. As such, Government Equalities Office planned communications ahead of this year's event. This included the Government Equalities Office digital and campaign plans for a series of content featuring women activists and change makers, and Ministerial content including to showcase excerpts from Parliamentary speeches.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 11/03/2020 16:08:22 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4544 label Biography information for Baroness Mone

1174475

registered interest
date	29/01/2020
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	Hate Crime: Females
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collect on incidences of misogynistic hate speech against women in public life; what assessment they have made of whether misogynistic hate speech is increasing; and what action they are taking to encourage women to (1) enter, and (2) remain, in public life.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2020 answer text <p>Misogyny is not a hate crime in law, therefore no data is held about specific incidences. The Government has heard concerns about existing legislation and asked the Law Commission to undertake a full review of hate crime legislation, which will report in early 2021.</p><p>The Government is committed to ensuring that women are able to participate fully in public life. Our Public Appointments Diversity Action plan, published in June 2019, sets out the actions we are taking to ensure that, by 2022, 50% of public appointees are women. Additionally, projects funded by our £5 million Women's Suffrage Centenary Fund included an AskHerToStand event for 350 women giving them invaluable help to get on the first rung of a political career.</p><p>We have more women MPs and councillors than ever before and there are now 220 women MPs (34%), up from 22% in 2010. I am pleased this is the most gender balanced parliament on record.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/02/2020 17:07:03 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1175221

registered interest
date	22/01/2020
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: Equality
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Fawcett Society Sex and Power 2020, published on 13 January; and what steps they are taking to address the reported inequality in senior jobs held in the UK by women and minority groups.
tabling member printed	Baroness McGregor-Smith
uin	HL699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2020 answer text <p>We have noted this report and will take its findings into consideration. It is vital that women and all ethnicities are able to fully contribute across politics, public life and all business sectors. Progress is being made, but there is more to do. Companies with diverse workforces perform better and an inclusive economic policy is vital to the success of our Industrial Strategy.</p><p>We urge our largest companies to lead from the front on this issue, to reap the economic and social benefits, by taking up the recommendations of the Government commissioned and supported Hampton-Alexander and Parker Reviews, championing greater leadership diversity.</p><p>Women now hold a higher percentage of senior leadership positions than ever before, with over 30% female board members across the FTSE350 for the first time and no all-male boards in the FTSE100. We surveyed FTSE350 companies last year to take stock of the ethnic diversity of their boards and will be publishing the results early this year.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/02/2020 11:35:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4554 label Biography information for Baroness McGregor-Smith

1175165

registered interest
date	21/01/2020
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	Assistance Animals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Equality Act 2010 to give the same rights to owners of emotional support animals as those who own certified assistance animals.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2020 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled users and customers so that they are not disadvantaged compared with people who are not disabled. This requirement includes permitting access to assistance dogs where reasonable. If a person meets the Act’s definition of disability and has an emotional support animal to help them manage that disability, they should ask the service provider to consider allowing access to the animal.</p><p>Other than in relation to taxis, the Equality Act does not refer to assistance dogs or any other specific form of support or facility for disabled people, because each reasonable adjustment must be considered on its merits and in the context of the particular circumstances of the case. We therefore have no plans to include emotional support dogs in the Act, as this would be at odds with the basic and long-standing basis of the legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/02/2020 11:36:15 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1169891

registered interest
date	09/01/2020
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	Conversion Therapy
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to hold a consultation on their proposal to outlaw gay conversion therapy; and if so, when.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL247
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>Attempts to ‘cure’ somebody of their sexual orientation or gender identity, otherwise known as conversion therapies, are wrong. This Government will deliver on the LGBT Action Plan, including the commitment to end conversion therapy and we have commissioned research into the experiences of those who have been subjected to this abhorrent practice.</p><p>These are complex issues that we are approaching sensitively. We are engaging widely before bringing forward proposals, and we will set out our next steps in the coming months to ensure that the actions we take are proportionate and effective.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/01/2020 12:41:18 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1169313

registered interest
date	07/01/2020
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what evaluation has been made of the decision to implement mandatory gender pay gap reporting.
tabling member printed	Lord Shinkwin
uin	HL169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>We have had two successful years of gender pay gap reporting so far, with over 10,000 employers publishing their data both years. Reporting provides an unprecedented level of transparency whilst driving board level discussions and pushing employers to take real action to close the gap.</p><p>We are keeping a close eye on progress to ensure that the legislation delivers on its aims, but it is important that we give the new regulations sufficient time to embed, to see how employers are responding and what actions they are taking, before considering any changes.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/01/2020 12:39:13 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4557 label Biography information for Lord Shinkwin

1167266

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to ensure that companies publish their action plans for closing the gender pay gap.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL534
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>The Gender Pay Gap among all employees in the UK continues to decline, currently at a record low of 17.3%.</p><p> </p><p>This year, mandatory reporting regulations have seen over 10,000 employers report their gender pay gap for the second time, with around half of all employers in-scope of the regulations publishing action plans.</p><p> </p><p>To close the gap entirely we need a much wider cultural change, which can’t be imposed from above. We strongly encourage all employers to publish action plans, prompting discussions about the drivers of the pay gap in their organisations. To support employers, we have published advice on how to diagnose their gaps and develop an effective action plan, alongside evidence-based guidance on practical actions they can take to close the gap. We actively disseminate this guidance to employers throughout the year to ensure they have the information they need to create an action plan.</p><p> </p><p>This position is kept under review. If we do not think that employers are making enough progress, we will act.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/11/2019 13:08:02 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1148093

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to identify the cause of the gender pay gap.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL18021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government introduced ground-breaking regulations in 2017 requiring large employers to publish gender pay gap data.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that reporting is just the start; we are committed to ensuring that the UK is an international leader on gender equality research.</p><p> </p><p>This year, we published the Case for Change, an in-depth analysis of how economic gender inequalities develop across people’s lives. In this, we highlight research we published in 2018, led by the University of Manchester, that identified four key drivers of the UK Gender Pay Gap:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Occupational segregation - the types of jobs that women tend to do are less well paid than the types of jobs men do.</p></li><li><p>Industrial segregation - the sectors of the economy that women tend to work in are less well paid than the sectors that men work in.</p></li><li><p>Differences in the ways men and women participate in the labour market - women tend to spend more years out of the labour market undertaking unpaid care work than men, and tend to have fewer years of full-time work experience.</p></li><li><p>Other factors that cannot be explained by the data we have, but could include discrimination, harassment, preferences and choices.</p></li></ul><p>To address these drivers, we published the Gender Equality Roadmap in July, setting out the Government’s vision and actions to address the persistent gendered barriers people face across their lives. Furthermore, our new annual Gender Equality Monitor brings together 24 indicators on gender equality from all areas of life to help us better measure progress over time.</p><p>We are also running two research programmes, Women and Gender Equality and Gender and Behavioural Insights, to develop the evidence base on gender equality in the workplace. Findings from this research is being used to identify practical actions for employers and organisations to support women’s progression in the workplace and reduce their gender pay gap.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 07/10/2019 16:39:07 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick