Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the introduction of mandatory gender pay gap reporting under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 is intended to facilitate the use by the Equality and Human Rights Commission of their enforcement powers relating to the elimination of unlawful sexual discrimination in the field of employment.

Non-compliance with the regulations will constitute an ‘unlawful act’ and fall within the existing enforcement powers of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) under the Equality Act 2006.

The EHRC can investigate an employer who it suspects of committing an unlawful act, with a view to making them put it right.