Oral Answers to Questions

Stella Creasy Excerpts

Thursday 22nd February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Victoria Atkins]

The Government are led, if I may say, by a female Prime Minister—I just mention that as a small detail because Labour members have never managed to entrust the leadership of their party to a woman. We are proud of our record of helping women, which is precisely why we are bringing forward a ground-breaking piece of legislation this year to tackle domestic abuse, which will help both the victims of domestic abuse and their children. It is one measure in a long programme that we are carrying out to try to help women—not just women who are victims of crime, but women in the economy. We have more women in the workplace than ever before, and we all know that financial independence is a key indicator when it comes to ensuring that women are not stuck in those terrible relationships that the hon. Lady has described.

[Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)]

6. How many and what proportion of employers within the scope of the gender pay gap regulations have published gender pay gap data.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

7. How many and what proportion of employers within the scope of the gender pay gap regulations have published gender pay gap data.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stella Creasy]

One challenge that we face is that employers sometimes deliberately conflate fair pay with equal pay to avoid scrutiny of their conduct. A prime offender is the BBC. Seventy MPs wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture to ask him to use his power to ensure an equal opportunity for both men and women at the corporation to be heard on this subject. Given that he has refused to do so, will the right hon. Lady exercise her freedom of speech and have a word?

[Amber Rudd]

I thank the hon. Lady for raising this important matter. It has been instructive to see how the BBC has responded. I am happy to confirm that I will take forward her advice and indeed have a word.