§ Jackie BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the women's organisations which have been consulted over proposed legislation by his Department during this session; and if their responses have been published. [86994]
§ Angela EagleWe are committed to making sure that policies are inclusive and take full account of the needs and experiences of all those affected by them. Guidelines on Policy Appraisal for Equal Treatment, published in November 1998, commit policy makers to assessing how proposals affect different groups of people.
We are making use of consultation, research projects and disaggregated statistics to identify the impact of policy on women. We routinely consult a wide variety of organisations on policy proposals. Within that process we are committed to including women's groups to ensure that the women's perspective is taken into consideration. As an example, a number of women's organisations, including the Women's National Commission, were consulted in connection with our proposals for ONE (formerly the Single Work-focused Gateway) and a summary of responses has been placed in the House of Commons Library.