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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has carried out an assessment of how long it will take to achieve 50:50 gender-balanced board representation without affirmative action.

It is important that the boardroom reflects modern Britain. Companies will do better if they make better use of the talent available and ensure their boardrooms reflect their workforces and wider society.

That is why Government fully supports the principle of achieving gender-balanced boards at our largest companies through a business-led, voluntary approach. This approach has worked, we have seen the proportion of women on FTSE 350 boards increase from 9.5% to 27.5% and we are down to only 6 all-male boards from a starting point of 152 in 2011.

We are actively supporting the work of the Hampton-Alexander Review and its business-led target of 33% women on FTSE 350 boards by 2020. I am optimistic that with strong leadership from business we will continue to see real progress in improving diversity and business will meet the new 33% target that they have been set.