Oral Answers to Questions

Martyn Day Excerpts

Thursday 21st July 2016 Commons Chamber

The Attorney General was asked—

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

1. What discussions his Department has had with the devolved Administrations on the timescale for invoking article 50 of the treaty on European Union.

[Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP)]

4. What discussions his Department has had with the devolved Administrations on the timescale for invoking article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Attorney General (Jeremy Wright)]

The hon. Gentleman will know that the Prime Minister has visited Scotland and Wales already and has made it clear that she wants to achieve the best possible deal for the whole of the United Kingdom on leaving the European Union. She has also made it clear that article 50 of the treaty on European Union will not be triggered before the end of the year.

[Martyn Day]

The Prime Minister has stated that Brexit means Brexit, and the First Minister of Scotland has stated that, for us, remain means remain. Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman agree that the Scottish people have spoken and that therefore their sovereignty should be respected?

[The Attorney General]

The people of the United Kingdom have spoken and their sovereignty must be respected. The people of the United Kingdom have made their decision on whether to leave the European Union, and we will respect it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Martyn Day Excerpts

Thursday 14th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. You caught me by surprise.

Last July, the Prime Minister—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. You should start by just saying, “Question 11”. You can build up to your peroration ere long.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

11. What steps her Department plans to take to encourage businesses with fewer than 250 employees to close the gender pay gap.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women and Equalities and Family Justice (Caroline Dinenage)]

We are absolutely committed to eliminating the gender pay gap in a generation, which is why we are requiring larger employers to publish their gender pay gap, as well as their bonus gap. We will support all businesses to do that, regardless of their size, with a £500,000 package, which includes UK-wide conference events, online software and, of course, targeted support to some of the male-dominated sectors. We also have the Think, Act, Report initiative, which is available to businesses of any size.

[Martyn Day]

Last July, the Prime Minister promised that companies with more than 250 employees would have to disclose their gender pay gap. This has already been pushed back by two months. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has found that only one in four firms has done any analysis of this. Does the Minister think that progress in this area is good enough, and what will be done about it?

[Caroline Dinenage]

Of course, this is more progress than we had under any previous Government, but this Government are not complacent. The gender pay gap is the lowest on record and has virtually been eliminated for women under the age of 40 working full time. However, we have brought forward the quite demanding regulation that larger employers will now have to publish both their gender pay gap and their bonus pay gap, and also why we have released a big package of support to enable to us to support them through that process.