Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of any potential barriers to increasing diversity on the boards of businesses.

Since 2011 the Government has sponsored a series of business-led independent reviews supporting increased diversity on boards. This has led to a rise in women’s representation from 9.5% FTSE-350 board members in 2011, to 37.6% to the end of 2021. In 2022 the UK was ranked second only to France, on public listed companies’ boards gender balance. Representation of ethnic minorities on board has also increased with over 90% of FTSE 100 companies reporting at least one member of an ethnic minority on their boards to the end of 2021. The Parker Review next reports in March of this year.