{ "format" : "linked-data-api", "version" : "0.2", "result" : {"_about" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "definition" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/meta/answeredquestions.text?legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "extendedMetadataVersion" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&_metadata=all&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "first" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?_page=0&legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "hasPart" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "isPartOf" : "https://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?legislature.prefLabel=House+of+Commons&answeringDeptSortName=Women+and+Equalities&hansardHeading=Business%3A+Equality", "items" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1542879", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1542879/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "

It is the responsibility of all businesses to ensure that they are aware of their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) to their customers and employees. To help them in this, Government and relevant independent bodies offer a range of technical guidance and statutory codes of practice that clearly explain what businesses should and should not do to ensure that their conduct is lawful and not discriminatory.<\/p>

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the public body responsible for enforcing the Act. The EHRC provides guidance to assist businesses, including service providers, to help ensure compliance with all parts of the Act. The guides explain how businesses can avoid the different types of unlawful discrimination, against customers and employees, including those with disabilities.<\/p>

Guidance for any organisation providing a service can be found here: https://equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/guidance-businesses<\/a><\/p>

Guidance for employers can be found here: https://equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/guidance-employers<\/a><\/p>

Tailored advice is also available to both businesses, employees and service users through two helplines. The Equality and Advisory Support Service (EASS) is a Government-funded helpline and the initial point of contact for anyone with discrimination concerns. The EASS provides free bespoke advice and also supports businesses and their customers to resolve issues using alternative informal dispute resolution. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.<\/p>

Acas offers a similar service to employers and employees, both information and early conciliation, where it is hoped that disputes can be resolved before progression to tribunal. Like the EHRC, Acas has also published guidance for employers to help them to behave in accordance with Equality Act requirements, for example their \u201cWhat discrimination is by law\u201d pages, that can be viewed at: https://www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-and-the-law<\/a><\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-11-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-11-23T12:12:59.547Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-11-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Business: Equality"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that businesses are complying with all parts of the Equality Act 2010.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4822", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Feryal Clark"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Enfield North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Feryal Clark"} ], "uin" : "89071"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138423", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138423/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "

The Government is working with the business community through the Business Diversity and Inclusion Group to coordinate action to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The Government has commissioned and supports several business-led, independent reviews on promoting diversity. These include the Hampton-Alexander Review which has a 33% target for women on boards and in senior leadership positions across the FTSE 350 by 2020. Also the Parker Review to increase the ethnic diversity of FTSE 350 boards by 2024.<\/p>

These reviews form part of the Government\u2019s modern Industrial Strategy which aims to build an economy that works for all.<\/p>

Women hold a higher percentage of senior leadership positions than ever before with 32.3% of women on FTSE 100 boards.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4399", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Victoria Atkins"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Louth and Horncastle"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Victoria Atkins"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-25T09:25:18.383Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Business: Equality"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to increase diversity across all levels of FTSE 100 companies.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Farrelly"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newcastle-under-Lyme"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Paul Farrelly"} ], "uin" : "276168"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513747", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513747/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "

The Government is committed to full gender equality in the workplace, and we are introducing mandatory gender pay gap reporting for larger employers from April 2017.<\/p>

We will support all employers to do this with a £500,000 package including: UK wide conference events, free online software and targeted support for male-dominated sectors. Employers of any size can join the voluntary \u201cThink, Act, Report\u201d initiative which has around 300 members leading the way on gender equality.<\/p>

The Women\u2019s Business Council has an SME representative to ensure good practice is promulgated throughout the wider business community, including a toolkit for businesses to support older women in the workplace.<\/p>

<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-04-26T16:13:30.637Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-04-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Business: Equality"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage big businesses to promote gender equality and provide models for small and medium-sized enterprises to follow.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"} ], "uin" : "34340"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513748", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513748/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "

The Government is committed to ensuring equal opportunities, so that everyone can reach their full potential and is working with business to achieve this. The Government has done so in a number of ways, including: The Hampton and Alexander review of women on boards and the chair of the Women\u2019s Business Council, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith will lead a review of issues faced by businesses in developing black and minority ethnic (BAME) talent, and access to the labour market.<\/p>

<\/p>

The Women\u2019s Business Council, established in 2012, has produced a range of products to encourage older women to enter and stay on in the workplace. The Women\u2019s Business Council has also been active in working with the finance sector to address some of the barriers facing some BAME women entrepreneurs. The Government has worked closely with employers to develop a range of measures that will help promote gender equality in workplaces and will require all companies with at least 250 employees to report their gender pay gaps. It is expected that employers will publish the required information from April 2017.<\/p>

This builds upon actions already undertaken by the Government including a series of equality roadshows with the British Chambers of Commerce. These roadshows highlighted the benefits and challenges of diverse workforces for business whilst helping the Government shape guidance for business on older workers, women and disabled people in the workplace to tackle discrimination.<\/p>

<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-04-26T16:14:17.863Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-04-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Business: Equality"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions has the Government had with businesses on reducing discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"} ], "uin" : "34339"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 4, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }