Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Caroline Dinenage and Maria Miller

Thursday 31st October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

2. What progress has been made on increasing the number of women on boards of FTSE 100 companies.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Maria Miller)]

The Government support Lord Davies’s voluntary business-led strategy for increasing the number of women in UK boardrooms. Good progress is being made: women now account for 19% of board members in our FTSE 100 companies, up from 12.5% in February 2011.

[Caroline Dinenage]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Is she aware of the importance of the so-called mumpreneurs, who work from home and contribute approximately £7 billion a year to our economy? Will she join me in congratulating those inspirational women and pledge to support them?

[Maria Miller]

I absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating mumpreneurs and applauding their work. I know that she is a small business woman and knows a great deal about the sector. The figures speak for themselves: in the last quarter we saw a further 27,000 women taking up entrepreneurial roles in our economy, making 1.2 million in total. That is real progress indeed.