Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in addressing the gender pay gap.

For the first time, all employers with 250 or more employees are required to publish their gender pay gap before 4 April 2018. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has powers to enforce compliance with this requirement. The EHRC has published a policy paper on its intended approach to enforcement here https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/closing-gap-enforcing-gender-pay-gap-regulations.

More generally, the EHRC's 2017-18 Business Plan commits it to working with employers to demonstrate how changes to recruitment, retention, pay decisions and career pipelines can narrow pay gaps.