Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.

This government is committed to reducing regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.

We recognise that women face additional barriers that can compound employment issues – in particular, childcare costs can affect parents’, and disproportionately women’s, decisions to take up paid work or increase their hours. We are taking action to address these barriers including ensuring that eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs, while working parents may access up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare.

For too many people, labour market opportunities are shaped by where they live. Through our Get Britain Working strategy, we are aiming to improve employment outcomes at a national level and reduce regional disparities in unemployment rates for everyone, including women. As a part of this, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service across Great Britain, bringing together employment, careers and skills. The service will work with local employers and partners to ensure it reflects and addresses the different needs of local labour markets.

We are introducing programmes to tackle region-specific issues. We are delivering Local Get Britain Working plans in all areas of England, which are led by local government and co-developed with local stakeholders, and will identify local labour market challenges and priorities, and support the integration of locally delivered services. We are delivering 17 Economic Inactivity and Youth Guarantee Trailblazers led by Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Welsh Government which are testing local approaches to support people who are hardest to reach to move towards work.