Asked by: Jake Berry (Conservative - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.
Answered by Margot James
The Office for National Statistics already publishes a comprehensive set of data on Civil Servants in each Government Department on an annual basis in October. This includes average salaries and any existing pay gaps by gender.
The Government has published draft regulations, under the Equality Act 2010, for the gender pay gap reporting requirements. These regulations remain in draft until they are approved by Parliament.
Under these draft regulations, employers with 250 or more employees have to publish information relating to the gender pay gap in their organisation within a 12 months period ending with the snapshot date of 5 April each year.
The Department will meet any requirements on gender pay gap reporting placed upon it.
Asked by: Jake Berry (Conservative - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to facilitate customers switching suppliers in consumer markets.
Answered by Nick Boles
We are taking action to make it quick and easy to switch suppliers. Last year, we published six switching principles, urging industry to improve their processes.
The Government has challenged the mobile phone operators to unlock handsets for free, and the major operators have committed to doing so.
We are also legislating for easier switching in the communications markets in the Digital Economy Bill.