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91213

registered interest
date	09/09/2014
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	Intersex
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have had with individuals or groups representing intersex people.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	208685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Ministers and officials from the Government Equalities Office regularly meet a broad range of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender stakeholders. Government Equalities Office officials met with representatives from the UK Intersex Association in June 2012.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 12/09/2014 12:41:06 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

91326

registered interest
date	09/09/2014
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	Government Equalities Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what assessments have been made since 2010 of the potential merits of establishing the Government Equalities Office within a permanent parent department or as a standalone department.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	208811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p>The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is a small policy unit which, under successive governments, has moved between parent Departments following changes of Ministerial portfolio.</p><p> </p><p>The resources, productivity and capacity of the GEO are kept under continuous review to ensure they are sufficient to deliver the Government’s equalities programme.</p><p>No formal assessment has been made of the financial costs, other costs or benefits of relocating GEO staff.</p><p> </p><p>Following the recent reshuffle in July, the GEO will continue to be based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will serve the Ministers for Women and Equalities.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 208494 208495 question first answered 12/09/2014 12:56:23 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

91327

registered interest
date	09/09/2014
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	Public Appointments: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's publication entitled Appointments to Boards and Equality Law, published in August 2014.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	208793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Government welcomed the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) legal framework on board appointments. The Guidance was only recently published (July 2014) so it is still too early to assess its impact.</p><p> </p><p>The EHRC Guidance is clear that the deliberate use of all-women long-lists or shortlists is likely to constitute unlawful sex discrimination. However, where there is no predetermination to draw up an all-women shortlist and an objective and consistent assessment of all candidates demonstrates that the best qualified candidates are all women, an all-women shortlist will be lawful, just as an all-male shortlist would be in the same circumstances.</p><p>The framework is also useful in highlighting that there are many good practices that focus on positive measures that will help create an even playing field. This best practice has led to great progress being made in the number of women on boards. For the first time, every board of Britain’s top 100 companies have at least one woman and we now have over 22% women on the boards of our FTSE 100 companies (up from 12.5% in 2011).</p><p> </p><p>We could not have got this far without the excellent work of the Executive Search Community to improve gender parity in our boardrooms.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 11/09/2014 11:20:15 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

91099

registered interest
date	08/09/2014
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	Crime Prevention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what discussions the Government Equalities Office has had with hate crime prevention groups in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	208532
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p>The Government Equalities Office has not met hate crime prevention groups specifically, but meets regularly with stakeholders – such as Stonewall, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation – to discuss a broad range of issues including hate crime. In addition, Government Equalities Office officials attend the Hate Crime Strategy Board, a cross-Government working group led by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice which considers policy and service improvements to prevent and reduce all forms of hate crime, and improve the criminal justice system’s response to such incidents.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 12/09/2014 13:03:16 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

91100

registered interest
date	08/09/2014
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	Government Equalities Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effect on organisational capacity and productivity of moving the Government Equalities Office between parent Departments since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	208494
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p>The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is a small policy unit which, under successive governments, has moved between parent Departments following changes of Ministerial portfolio.</p><p> </p><p>The resources, productivity and capacity of the GEO are kept under continuous review to ensure they are sufficient to deliver the Government’s equalities programme.</p><p>No formal assessment has been made of the financial costs, other costs or benefits of relocating GEO staff.</p><p> </p><p>Following the recent reshuffle in July, the GEO will continue to be based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will serve the Ministers for Women and Equalities.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 208495 208811 question first answered 12/09/2014 12:56:22 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

91101

registered interest
date	08/09/2014
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	Government Equalities Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what the financial cost has been of moving the Government Equalities Office between parent Departments since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	208495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p>The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is a small policy unit which, under successive governments, has moved between parent Departments following changes of Ministerial portfolio.</p><p> </p><p>The resources, productivity and capacity of the GEO are kept under continuous review to ensure they are sufficient to deliver the Government’s equalities programme.</p><p>No formal assessment has been made of the financial costs, other costs or benefits of relocating GEO staff.</p><p> </p><p>Following the recent reshuffle in July, the GEO will continue to be based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will serve the Ministers for Women and Equalities.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 208494 208811 question first answered 12/09/2014 12:56:22 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

91102

registered interest
date	08/09/2014
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: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the extent to which government policy on gender identity conforms to the Yogyakarta Principles on human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity; and what steps she has taken to ensure that policy conforms to those principles.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	208586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2014 answer text <p>The UK Government is proud of its record in protecting and advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens and in promoting equal treatment abroad.</p><p>The Yogyakarta Principles are a set of standards conceived by an independent group of human rights experts. The Principles have not been adopted by any nation state or international legislative body and the Government does not intend to undertake an assessment of the extent to which its policies conforms to them. However, our legislation, policy and practice in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality meets, or surpasses, our international commitments and human rights requirements.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 12/09/2014 12:45:39 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

90796

registered interest
date	04/09/2014
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	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by the Government Equalities Office was in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Mr Gareth Thomas
uin	208284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2014 answer text <p>Due to a Machinery of Government change in September 2012, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Department for Culture Media and Sport. DCMS was responsible for the remuneration of GEO employees from June 2013. The table therefore shows the lowest and highest full-time equivalent salaries paid to GEO employees in the financial years 2013-14 (as at 31/03/14) and 2014-15 (as at 01/09/14). The highest salary is shown in bands of £5,000, in-line with the Department’s annual disclosure of senior salaries through its annual accounts and reports.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Lowest Salary (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Highest Salary (£) (given as range)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>21,501</p></td><td><p>90000 - 95000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p><p>*figures as at 01/09/14</p></td><td><p>22,396</p></td><td><p>90000 - 95000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 10/09/2014 09:04:23 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

79121

registered interest
date	21/07/2014
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	Legal Systems: Islam
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Justice and (b) other interlocutors about the Law Society's inclusion of Sharia succession rules in its guidance and its compatibility with existing equalities legislation; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Broxbourne
tabling member printed	Mr Charles Walker
uin	206704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2014 answer text <p>My Rt Hon Friend and I have not had any such discussions.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government has no intention of changing this position. Everyone, male or female, is equal before the law in this country.</p><p> </p><p>The practice note issued by The Law Society on 13 March gives guidance to solicitors preparing wills under the law of England and Wales. It is a fundamental principle of this law that testators are, by making a valid will, able to leave their property to whomsoever they wish, subject only to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The practice note does not and cannot change the law. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 01/09/2014 18:52:29 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker

78805

registered interest
date	17/07/2014
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	Public Expenditure
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on (a) outside catering and refreshments, (b) artwork and (c) televisions in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	206584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2014 answer text <p>The Government Equalities Office has not spent any money on plants, televisions or artwork over the past 5 years.</p><p> </p><p>The available information is in the table.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Expenditure on Catering and Refreshments</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>£3,666</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>£3,328</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes:</p><p>1. GEO’s transfers between Departments mean that the data is only accessible through a number of different legacy systems. Further detail could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p>2. Expenditure on wine is included in the figures above; it is not recorded separately.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 206587 question first answered 22/07/2014 12:29:34 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero