§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the pay gap between men and women employed by his Department and its agencies in(a) Southampton, (b) Eastleigh, (c) Winchester and (d) Romsey. [171625]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Ministry of Defence, in common with all other Government Departments, conducted an equal pay audit following the publication of the report by the Equal Opportunities Commission Equal Pay Task Force, Just Pay, in March 2001. The outcome of the audit, including an initial action plan, was submitted to the Cabinet Office in April 2003. Further work has been conducted over the last year. This work did not address particular units but nevertheless demonstrated that MOD's pay system treats men and women on an equal basis. The Ministry of Defence intends to place a copy of its action plan in the Library of the House as soon as it has concluded discussions with the Cabinet Office.