Question

What steps she is taking to help ensure that companies report accurate gender pay gap figures before the 4 April 2019 deadline.

Organisations with 250 or more employees are required to report their gender pay gap data by 30^th March, for those in the public sector, or 4^th April, in the private sector.

It is an employer’s legal responsibility to ensure that they report on time and that their figures are accurate. Detailed guidance is available on the Acas website and GOV.UK to help employers with their calculations.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has the power to take enforcement action against employers that breach the regulations.

In 2018, the EHRC commenced enforcement action against 100 employers suspected of publishing inaccurate figures. The EHRC enforcement found that they were a result of errors, rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead. They have worked closely with employers to identify and correct errors; all of whom have now either verified their figures or identified and corrected calculation errors.