Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to protect gender equality by bringing forward legislative proposals to transpose provisions on women's rights fully into UK law when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
All substantive protections covered in the Equality Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland will continue to apply in domestic law after exit just as they do now, subject to the correction of any deficient provisions (for example, changing references to “EU law” to “retained EU law”). The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will also convert EU law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit.
The Government is committed to ensuring that equalities are properly protected in UK legislation following our withdrawal from the EU. In some areas, such as reporting requirements on gender pay gaps, UK equalities law offers greater breadth than that offered by EU law. Another example is maternity leave allowance which far exceeds the minimum requirement set out in EU law.