International Women’s Day

Baroness Hussein-Ece Excerpts

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for all the work that she has done in this area over many years. This Government are committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination. We will make the right to equal pay effective by putting in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay, and we will implement a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay. My noble friend is right about the importance of closing the gender pay gap, which is why, as part of the Employment Rights Bill, we are taking the first steps towards requiring large employers to produce action plans covering steps they are taking on the gender pay gap and menopause support.

[Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD)]

My Lords, I declare that I am the co-chair of the APPG on Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Women and girls are all too often at the front line of conflict and humanitarian crisis, and approximately 800 women die every day of preventable causes relating to pregnancy and childbirth. In Afghanistan, a woman dies every two hours due to sexual violence and attacks and the restricting of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. With the proposed reduction in these vital services due to the proposed ODA cuts, will the Government emphasise their commitment to prioritising and ring-fencing these programmes for women and girls as a hallmark of commemorating this International Women’s Day.