HC Deb 10 April 2001 vol 366 cc629-30W
Barbara Follett

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the measures the Government have taken to ensure equal pay within the Civil Service since May 1997. [157693]

Mr. Stringer

Guidance was issued by the Cabinet Office to all Departments and agencies in October 1998 in order to raise awareness of the implications of equal pay legislation. The guidance was subsequently incorporated into the Civil Service Management Code which requires Departments and agencies to undertake periodic equal pay reviews.

The Modernising Government White Paper published in March 1999 set out the Government's plans to modernise the public services including their pay systems. The Civil Service response to the White Paper was set out

Expenditure broken down to show amounts spent on television, newspaper and radio advertising
£
Campaign Television Newspaper Radio Total
1996–97
Chartermark Awards 3,822 3,822
Open Government 66,110 66,110
Nolan Committee 20,721 20,721
Chartermark 56,450 56,450
Total 147,103 147,103
1997–98
Standards in Public Life 34,767 34,767
Total 34,767 34,767
1998–99
Party Political Funding 1,371 1,371
Commissioner for Public Appointments 7,139 7,139
Total 8,510 8,150
1999–2000
Action 2000 Public Awareness 920,069 807,828 155,469 3,343,856
Civil Service Pension Scheme 771 771
Total 920,069 808,599 155,469 3,344,627
2000–01 to date
Fuel Crisis Information 8,340 8,340
UK-Online 99,470 99,470
Total 107,810 107,810

Note:

All figures exclude VAT

Information on other departmental promotional campaigns is not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

in Sir Richard Wilson's report to the Prime Minister of December 1999. The report requires all Departments and agencies to review their pay and performance management systems.

In addition, virtually all Civil Service posts are underpinned by an analytical job evaluation system designed and tested to be free of any inherent gender bias. The main Civil Service job evaluation system was updated and equality tested before being issued to Departments and agencies in June 1999.