§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to require businesses to carry out equal pay reviews. [168889]
§ Ms HewittThe Government have adopted a voluntary approach to pay reviews outside of the civil service and believes it is in firms' best interest to do pay reviews. We believe that the best way to achieve lasting change is through working alongside the business community to promote voluntary equal pay reviews.
We are working with the Equal Opportunities Commission, Opportunity Now, trade unions and employers to meet our target of 35 per cent. of large organisations completing pay reviews by 2006. We have provided funding for the EOC to develop equal pay toolkits for both large and small employers and funding for trade unions to train representatives in equal pay issues. We are also supporting the EOC's sectoral approach to promoting pay reviews.
The EOC's latest findings show that 45 per cent. of large employers had completed an equal pay review, were in the process of completing one or were planning to do so in 2004. Among those that had carried out a pay review or were planning to do one, 41 per cent. said that Government policy and publicity had influenced them.