HC Deb 30 March 2004 vol 419 c1362W
Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employers, and in which sectors, have conducted equal pay reviews in each year for which figures are available. [163542]

Mr. Sutcliffe

Research published by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 2003 has found that 36 per cent. of large organisations (500 or more employees) in their main survey had either conducted an equal pay review (EPR), were in the process of conducting one, or were planning to do so before the end of 2003. 27 per cent. of medium-sized organisations (100–499 employees) had conducted, were conducting, or were planning to conduct an EPR by the end of 2003.

There is no information available on which sectors have conducted equal pay reviews, nor is there information available on organisations conducting pay reviews prior to 2003. However, the EOC survey found that in the manufacturing sector 57 per cent. of organisations had an equal pay policy, in the private services sector 54 per cent. had a policy and in the public sector 69 per cent. had an equal pay policy.