Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the disproportionate effect of the extended closure of hair, beauty, spa and wellness services during the covid-19 outbreak on women working in that sector.

Our guidance for the sector has a specific section, 3.3., covering equality in the workplace.

Cabinet Office guidance behind the new national restrictions has been brought because Government assessed that we had to take action immediately to protect the NHS and to get R decisively below 1.

The Government has, however, enabled click and collected services, as well as training and education (see guide) to enable COVID-secure businesses in this sector to operate where possible.