Jo Swinson
Main Page: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)Department Debates - View all Jo Swinson's debates with the Department for Transport
(13 years, 10 months ago)
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Mrs May
In response to the hon. Gentleman’s first comment about no compulsion, I am grateful that he supports Government policy on that issue. He is right that extending the ability to have religious elements to a civil partnership ceremony or to hold such partnership ceremonies on religious premises raises an issue about the equality with civil marriage. We are taking steps as regards the Lord Alli amendment and we will make announcements in due course.
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD)
6. What assessment she has made of the effect on the well-being of women and girls of body image representations in the media.
The Minister for Equalities (Lynne Featherstone)
I would like to congratulate my hon. Friend on her tireless commitment to this area of work. I, too, remain deeply worried about this issue. I have met too many people, both male and female, whose lives have been affected by negative feelings about their body shape. Recently I convened a group of experts to discuss our shared concerns and the evidence that they had assembled. I am working with them and with relevant industries to identify non-legislative ways of tackling the issue.
Jo Swinson
Girlguiding UK regularly surveys young women and girls in the country and consistently shows that girls are unhappy with the prevalence of heavily airbrushed images and the ultra-thin ideal in the media. The Committee of Advertising Practice, which sets the advertising rules, is either oblivious or complacent about this problem, however, recently stating in a letter that it has
“seen very few ads that are targeted at children which appear to have been airbrushed”,
and that it does not think that this is “a widespread practice”. Will the Minister reassure the House that she will not let the advertising industry get away with dismissing this issue?
Lynne Featherstone
I can assure my hon. Friend that the advertising industry is more than well aware both of her work and of the Government’s intention to work with interested partners on this issue. I am sure that Members of all parties recognise that it is a real issue for girls, women and young men in this country.