Women and Equalities

The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked—

1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help protect the rights of women with endometriosis in the workplace.

While around 1.5 million women live with endometriosis, survey data shows that it can take more than nine years to receive a diagnosis, which will clearly have a significant impact on those women’s careers. We are acting so that women receive medical support earlier, ensuring that they can access diagnostic testing and are not dismissed by doctors. Measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will support women in managing the condition at work.

Many women across the country living with endometriosis are forced to withstand immense challenges in the workplace, often culminating in them having to curtail their ambitions or leave employment entirely. That is because some workplaces are not putting in place proper protections to support working women, who frankly deserve better. What steps are therefore being taken, in consultation with the Department for Business and Trade, to ensure that our workplaces do not lose out on the immeasurable contribution that these brave women can make?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the challenges that endometriosis brings and that workplaces cannot afford to lose such talented women. Action matters. That is why, as part of the Employment Rights Act, we are improving access to flexible working, making changes to statutory sick pay and opening up conversations about women’s health through the employer action plans that we launched last week. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend and other Members to make that support a reality.

One in 10 women have endometriosis, seriously impacting their ability to work. What plans does the Minister have to ensure that employers have clear guidance about the reasonable adjustments that they should be offering, not just for endometriosis but for all gynaecological issues that impact women’s work?

That is an incredibly important question. It is why, with the action plans that we launched last week, we are looking for action to tackle gender pay gaps and a strategy for supporting women with the menopause. From conversations with employers, we know that will be important in helping to facilitate other conversations about women’s health and how women can have that vital support in the workplace.

2. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce inequalities experienced by children in poverty.

Tackling child poverty is the moral mission of this Labour Government. Background should not determine what we can go on to achieve in life, but inequality and poverty are barriers to opportunity. We are investing in our children’s futures through a massive expansion of Best Start family hubs, childcare, breakfast clubs and free school meals, alongside the end to the two child limit, and our child poverty strategy will deliver the biggest ever reduction in child poverty in a single Parliament.

In families with disabled children, 25% of those children are living in deep material poverty. The recent uprating of universal credit will be a great help for children growing up in such households, but equipment costs and other expenses, such as specialist childcare, remain significant pressures. Will the Minister set out what more she is doing to address the inequalities felt by children growing up in households with at least one disabled child?

My hon. Friend is right. We recognise the disproportionate financial strain on families with disabled children, who often face significantly higher costs for essentials. We heard that during the development of the child poverty strategy, through many of the children’s rights groups and other organisations that contributed to that work. Our child poverty strategy sets out a plan to lift over half a million children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament. Alongside that, we are taking specific steps to support children with additional needs, providing £200 million of investment to ensure that every Best Start family hub has a dedicated practitioner for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

I thank the Minister for her answers, her positivity, and her commitment to making the necessary changes. When it comes to inequalities in the home, cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and behavioural issues, are so much higher in number than they ever were in my day when I was a youngster—and that was not yesterday, by the way. Given the pressures of the lives we live today, what will be done to help those categories of children in particular?

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising this area. It is why, through our SEND consultation that will cover England, we want to make sure that support is available to children much more quickly. Of course, formal diagnosis will continue to have an important role and families will seek that, but we should not be waiting for diagnosis to put in place the support that children need. That is why, through the big investment we are delivering in SEND—an extra £4 billion—we will make sure that children get the support when they need it and where they need it.

3. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality as part of the Government mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Our recent “Every Child Achieving and Thriving” White Paper sets out our ambition to raise standards for all children and to halve the disadvantage gap between poorer children and their peers at the end of their secondary school career, to make sure that where someone is from does not determine where they end up. We are expanding free school meals and scrapping the two child limit to lift half a million children out of poverty—that is the difference a Labour Government make.

Poverty and economic inequality scar the education and life chances of children. Is it not right that by lifting the two child limit, delivering 30 hours of free childcare, rolling out free breakfast clubs and family hubs and opening new school based nurseries, including at Altrincham Church of England primary school in my constituency, this Government are investing in equality for children, and that that investment will be repaid many times over, when every child has the support they need to reach their full potential?

Yes. Tackling child poverty is not just a moral imperative; it is an investment in our country’s future and in our own economic security. That is why we are determined to give every child the best start in life. The Conservatives might not like that: on their watch record numbers of children were pushed into poverty but this Labour Government will lift half a million children out of poverty.

On the Secretary of State’s watch, the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in Gosport has now reached around 5%—the highest in 15 years. Is that any wonder when so many of the job opportunities that used to be there for our young people, such as in retail, hospitality, and hair and beauty, are being battered by this Government? Surely one of the best ways to tackle inequality and poverty is to give people the right education and the right job opportunities, so what are her Government and her Department going to do?

We face a serious challenge about the big numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training, and we are committed to tackling that. That is why Alan Milburn is leading a review for this Government of what more we can do to support young people, why we have launched our schools White Paper, why we are investing in further education and why we are expanding new routes into apprenticeships. I would say that this problem did not emerge overnight: it has developed over many years, and the Conservatives would do well to reflect on the contribution that they made to the shocking numbers of young people who are NEET.

4. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to mark International Women’s Day.

Cabinet colleagues have marked International Women’s Day by highlighting what we are doing to support working women, to halve violence against women and girls and to build a better future for every woman and girl. Last week I was proud to formally launch employer action plans, alongside the Minister for Women and Equalities. Our ministerial colleague, the right hon. Baroness Smith, is currently attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women. We are putting women at the heart of our missions in Government and our foreign policy, because we recognise that progress on gender equality must know no borders.

This International Women’s Day I commend the work in my constituency of the Her Place charitable trust, which supports women’s wellbeing and creates spaces to facilitate conversations about health and other challenges. Her Place says that many women, especially in deprived areas, visit their GP with poor mental health, but are given medication without any meaningful discussion about what is happening in their lives. With Healthwatch England reporting that many women feel unheard and that those in deprived areas facing 20 fewer healthy years, how will the Government back community based wraparound services to close those gaps?

I join my hon. Friend in commending the work of Her Place and all community based support. We are rolling out neighbourhood health centres across the country, prioritising areas with the greatest need. Local authorities and integrated care boards will work together to design those services to reflect the needs of local women. Mental health funding has increased by £688 million this year, and is backed by almost 8,000 extra staff, new mental health centres and talking therapies, which will ensure that women receive the personalised support that they need.

Following International Women’s Day and with English Tourism Week approaching, I have been meeting female entrepreneurs across Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, including Kathleen at the Navigator Hotel, who featured on “The Hotel Inspector” only last week, and many others through my business club. These businesses are vital to coastal economies, but many women say it remains difficult to scale and grow. What assessment has the Minister made of the barriers facing women entrepreneurs in sectors like tourism and hospitality?

I thank the hon. Member for that brilliant question. We have to do everything we can to support women entrepreneurs, and it is vital that we look at the challenges we see women facing in a range of sectors. That is why we have work continuing through the Women’s Business Council and why we have the investing in women code, which has been backed by our first female Chancellor. That is also why we want to see the progress of women both in entrepreneurship and in the workplace as a priority. I was proud to attend the 30% Club’s International Women’s Day breakfast this morning in the House.

I call the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.

It is sad but true that International Women’s Day rings hollow for far too many women, particularly the three brave women I have just met. They are survivors of Epstein and, for them, important days like that come and go. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we do not just mark important days for women and girls, but give them the protection and justice that they deserve? What is she doing to hold perpetrators such as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to account for not just reports of sharing state secrets, but the trafficking and sexual abuse of women and girls?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The focus must absolutely be on the victims of these appalling crimes and on putting in place support for women and girls who have faced horrendous violence. Multiple police forces are assessing allegations arising from the Epstein files. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has established a national co ordination group and appointed a senior investigator to support forces in reviewing the extensive material and progressing the resulting investigations. The senior investigator will work with UK forces, the National Crime Agency, specialists on violence against women and girls, the Crown Prosecution Service and US authorities to ensure a consistent and evidence led approach.

I call the shadow Minister.

It has been almost a year since the Supreme Court ruling, and I come here time after time to ask what progress has been made. I was going to ask today if the Government can confirm that every Department is fully compliant with the ruling, but honestly there is almost no point; we know that the answer is no. In the week of International Women’s Day, is it not the truth that the former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission had a point when she said that the Labour party seems to have “completely abandoned” women’s rights?

I do not think it will surprise the shadow Minister that I disagree with her. It is important to say we have been clear that all service providers must follow the law, as clarified by the For Women Scotland ruling. As she knows, the EHRC has given the Government the code of practice, which we are working through. It is also important to say that any suggestions of delay are completely wrong. She knows that it is a lengthy document, covering all the protected characteristics. We take this matter seriously, and we are working to get it right.

On International Women’s Day this year, many of us reflected on the scandal of group based sexual exploitation of young women and girls in Britain. Will the Minister commit that, by International Women’s Day 2027, the Government will have implemented the key interim lessons from the independent inquiry into grooming gangs and from other reports commissioned on this matter by Members of this House?

This is an incredibly important topic. The hon. Gentleman will know we have always been clear that our paramount objective is to root out the horrific crimes of grooming gangs, punish perpetrators and protect children from harm. It is important to note, as he will know, that the Home Secretary made a statement accepting the recommendations of Baroness Casey’s audit into group based child sexual exploitation, which included a national inquiry into grooming. We are committed to changing the criminal law around adults penetrating children under the age of 16. We are also absolutely committed to ensuring that we root out these evil crimes with our work across Government.

5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

We are delivering the commitments set out in the cross Government “Freedom from Violence and Abuse” strategy, published in December 2025, which sets out actions to prevent violence, pursue perpetrators and support victims. A ministerial group bringing together 14 Departments provides strategic oversight of delivery, driving progress, addressing risk, and ensuring collective ownership of our commitment to halve VAWG within a decade.

I recently visited Wolverhampton girls’ high school in my constituency of Wolverhampton West, and was pleased to see posters promoting the “Orange Wolverhampton” campaign, which is working with community partners in the fight against gender based violence and abuse. While the criminal justice system of course has a part to play in tackling violence against women and girls, does the Minister agree that we need to do more to achieve community based early intervention and prevention, and that educating and raising awareness among our young people—especially our young boys—about VAWG can benefit not only the victims, but the perpetrators and our justice system?

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. This weekend, I was with Black Country Women’s Aid, celebrating its 40th anniversary, and its staff mentioned how my hon. Friend had been incredibly supportive of them. The first of the three aims of our strategy is to stop violence before it starts, focusing on the prevention that he talks about. We will focus on young people, supporting parents and working with schools to challenge misogyny and promote healthy relationships. We will also engage with industry and take decisive action to safeguard young people by making the UK one of the hardest places for children to access harmful content and misogynistic influence.

Will the Minister undertake to consult with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister? Violence against women and girls continues to increase, with another woman killed in the past few days in Northern Ireland, and we need to take positive action to stem this misogynistic abuse of both women and girls.

The hon. Gentleman highlights another incredibly sad case. Of course, I work with the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland—we work very closely with all the devolved Administrations to make sure we are working together to deal with this problem collectively.

I call the shadow Minister.

Despite incomplete responses from police forces and nothing from Police Scotland, “Healthcare Today” reported back in 2025 that Women’s Rights Network found via freedom of information requests that one in seven sexual crimes committed in hospitals—that is 266—were committed on hospital wards, and that two in five female medical students reported sexual harassment or assault at university. With just 4% charged for these offences, perpetrators are getting away with it, and are surely committing more attacks. Against the backdrop of Labour’s shameful choices on jury trials yesterday—all appalling—when will the Minister and this Government act to protect women on wards?

If the hon. Lady were to read the violence against women and girls strategy, she would see that there is a specific section on healthcare workers and workers across the community, specifically targeting the issue of sexual harassment within the NHS. I would also point out to her that the charging rate for sexual crimes fell to a historic low under her Government, and I am very pleased to tell the House that it is now increasing.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Last month, The Guardian revealed that suicides following domestic abuse may be vastly under reported, with research in Kent suggesting that they could be 15 times more prevalent. There has been just one manslaughter conviction from such a death in the whole of UK legal history. Liberal Democrats in the other place recently tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, supported by Women’s Aid and Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse, which would require police to investigate suicides as potential homicides where there is a reasonable suspicion of a history of domestic abuse. Given the Government’s reluctance to support that measure, will the Minister commit to making the College of Policing’s published guidance on this matter statutory, so that these cases are properly investigated across all forces?

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. Once again, I point to this exact issue being covered in the violence against women and girls strategy, with the need to improve police responses. That is why the Government have invested £13.1 million into a policing centre that focuses specifically on VAWG. On this specific issue of suicide following domestic abuse, it has undertaken some absolutely groundbreaking work that I very much hope will lead to change and further convictions, which we all want to see.

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

Following International Women’s Day, this Government are taking another step towards a fairer Britain. We have published guidance for businesses encouraging them not just to report their gender pay gaps but to set out plans to tackle them, because reducing the gender pay gap is good for women and good for growth as well. We are expanding childcare, introducing new workplace protections, and implementing a landmark strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

The latest report from Endometriosis UK shows that the average diagnosis time in the United Kingdom has risen to eight years and 10 months. Constituents of mine in Bedford and Kempston, including a staff member with a rare form of the condition, still face long delays for treatment. Will the Minister set improved targets and mandate GP training on recognising endometriosis in the women’s health strategy to speed up diagnosis?

My hon. Friend is right: women often spend years being dismissed, being misdiagnosed, or just not being listened to. That is unacceptable, and we are determined to tackle it. In order to improve early diagnosis of the condition, we continue to roll out community diagnostic centres, and our renewed women’s health strategy, which we will publish soon, will focus on speeding up diagnosis and treatment of both mental health and gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.

I call the shadow Minister.

Within an hour of the Government’s publication of their Islamophobia definition this week, there were calls from within the Labour party for it to be weaponised to stifle free speech, but we know that there have been multiple cases of our public services being too scared of being called Islamophobic to speak freely to save women and girls from serious harm. Can the Minister explain why the Labour party thought it was worth trading the safety of women and girls for their own narrow political interests?

What absolute rubbish. This is a serious issue. We know that there are people who want to pull our country apart, but I am proud that we live in a multi ethnic, diverse and tolerant nation where we celebrate our shared values. It is right that we take action against anti Muslim hatred in our country, as we take action on antisemitism, and we have set out further steps in that regard. It is completely unacceptable that anyone should face intimidation or harassment on the basis of their faith, but that is not in conflict with our fundamental belief in the right to freedom of speech.

T2. According to Surviving Economic Abuse, an economic abuse victim loses her life every 19 days, with more than 50% of domestic homicide reviews involving that form of abuse by a partner. What steps is the Minister taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle it, both through the Government’s violence against women and girls strategy and by improving understanding within relevant agencies?

The cross Government violence against women and girls strategy to which my hon. Friend has referred contains an ambitious package of measures to prevent and tackle economic abuse and to support victims. It includes exploring how to prevent joint mortgages from being used as a tool of abuse, ensuring that coerced debt is reflected accurately and that the severe problem of victims’ credit files is addressed, and piloting the use of the economic abuse evidence form within the Government to improve our response to victims of economic abuse.

T4. Eighteen months ago in the King’s Speech, the Government announced that they would introduce a draft race and disability equality Bill, but we have not yet seen it. Next week it will be a year since the consultation was launched. When will we see the draft Bill, and what will the process of scrutiny be?

I welcome the hon. Lady’s interest in this issue. Good progress has been made on developing the policy, and we will publish the Government’s response as soon as we can, as well as setting out next steps in respect of legislation that we will present. This was a key manifesto commitment, and we will deliver on it.

T3. The wage gap between the Isle of Wight and the rest of the UK—[Interruption.] I know that Conservative Members love the Isle of Wight, but they did nothing about it when they were in power. The wage gap between the Isle of Wight and the rest of the UK leaves full time island employees about £5,500 a year worse off in comparison with the national average, while female islanders are about £8,000 worse off. Will the Minister work with Cabinet colleagues as a matter of urgency to address the island wage gap, particularly for women, and does she agree that closing that gap is good for women, good for communities and good for growth?

I firmly agree that women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand. That is why I was pleased to join the Minister for Women and Equalities in formally launching the action plans last week, so that large employers will be encouraged to set out the steps that they are taking to narrow their gender pay gap. This will ensure that women are able to thrive in the workplace across the country, including on the Isle of Wight.