§ Ms Janet AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Enviornment what steps he is taking to measure and evaluate the effect of his Department's policies on women. [5487]
Sir Paul BersfordIn July this year, the model guidance on policy appraisal for equal treatment was revised and circulated at Cabinet level for Departments to adopt to their own circumstances. A copy was placed in the Library of the House. This guidance requires officials to identify policy issues which might impact differentially on women and men, and other groups, to asses whether this is justified in policy terms, and to adjust the policy if it is not. My Department has existing guidance on policy appraisal in place and is currently in the process of updating this to reflect the new model guidance.
144WThe 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 be measured.