Debates between Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Colleen Fletcher during the 2015-2017 Parliament

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Colleen Fletcher
Thursday 2nd July 2015

(9 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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My hon. Friend raised this issue in one of the last Women and Equalities questions sessions of the last Parliament. He is right that the full-time gender pay gap in financial and insurance activities is 35.2%. I refer him to the answer that I gave earlier about the need to inspire young people and make sure that girls in particular do not count themselves out of particular careers, or out of specific subject choices at school so that they cannot go into those careers later on.

Colleen Fletcher Portrait Colleen Fletcher (Coventry North East) (Lab)
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The gender pay gap in Coventry increased to 16.2% in 2014, up from 15% the previous year. What targeted action are the Government taking to address the issue in areas such as mine where the gender pay gap has widened rather than narrowed in recent years?

Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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The figure that the hon. Lady gives is thankfully smaller than the overall United Kingdom figure, but that does not mean it is acceptable. I am sure she will work with employers in her constituency when the regulations are published and brought into force to ensure that employers work hard on gender pay transparency and take specific steps to tackle the gap.