§ Ms Janet AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to measure and evaluate the effect of his Department's policies on women. [5486]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellIn July this year, the model guidance on policy appraisal for equal treatment, a copy of which is in the Library, was revised and circulated at Cabinet level for Departments to adapt to their own circumstances. Senior officials in this Department have been issued with the guidance which requires officials to identify policy issues which might impact differentially on women and men, and other groups, to assess whether this is justified in policy terms, and to adjust the policy if it is not.
The recent Government report "One Year On" outlines action taken by Government to benefit women since the World Conference on Women, and also includes baseline statistics against which future progress can he measured.