Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis the equality analysis undertaken under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which showed that certain features of the new contract for doctors in training will disproportionately impact on women, would not amount to indirect discrimination as those impacts can be comfortably justified.

The Equality Assessment refers to a number of important objectives the new contract pursues and explains how it delivers fairness for all junior doctors. The Government considers that the new contract is entirely consistent with the Equality Act 2010.