Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 3 July (HL933) concerning women's employment in the United Kingdom, whether they have informed the European Commission of the measures implemented by the United Kingdom to encourage women into work; and whether they will recommend that the European Commission should concentrate their efforts on the other 23 countries which have a lower percentage of women at work.

The Government informs the European Commission of our employment policies, including female employment and measures to help working women and families, as part of the European Semester process and other engagement with Commission officials. In the area of employment, the Government’s view is that the European Semester should focus on those areas that are most directly relevant to employment outcomes, such as the efficiency and functioning of labour markets and should encourage all Member States to remove barriers to greater participation of women in the economy.