HM Government

New powers to stop parents avoiding paying child maintenance that they owe have been announced.

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The Prime Minister announces new drive to improve workplace equality – calling on more companies to report their gender pay gap and take action to close it.

New figures published this week by the ONS show the UK’s overall gender pay gap rising marginally to 18.4%, but the gap for full-time workers falling to a record low – from 9.4% in 2016 to 9.1% in 2017.

To close the gender pay gap further, the Prime Minister is calling on companies to:

• improve the pipeline to ensure progress on female representation at senior levels, including supporting women to progress to middle management and offering return to work schemes
• publish their gender pay gap data, including companies with fewer than 250 employees
• make flexible working a reality for all employees by advertising all jobs as flexible from Day 1, unless there are solid business reasons not to

As part of the commitment to drive forward workplace equality, the Women’s Business Council which the Prime Minister established as Home Secretary in 2012, will be advising her on progress and good practice in business. The council will also be providing recommendations in key areas including middle management, flexible working, working parents and return-to-work schemes.

The Prime Minister said:

Tackling injustices like the gender pay gap is part of building a country that works for everyone.

Already many of the UK’s top companies are leading the way in making sure everyone’s contributions to the workplace are valued equally, and it is encouraging news that the gap has fallen this year for full-time workers.

But the gender pay gap isn’t going to close on its own – we all need to be taking sustained action to make sure we address this.

We need to see a real step-change in the number of companies publishing their gender pay data and offering progression and flexibility for all employees.

That’s why today I am calling on more businesses, both small and large, to take action to make sure the gender pay gap is eliminated once and for all.

The government introduced a legal requirement for all employers with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay and bonus data by April 2018.

Top companies including Weetabix, Fujitsu, TSB, Virgin Media and SSE have already reported their gender pay gap and have said how they will take action to close it. The Prime Minister is now calling on more employers to follow their lead, including encouraging businesses with fewer than 250 employees to voluntarily publish their pay gap too.

Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said:

It is simply good business sense to recognise the enormous potential of women and to take action to nurture and progress female talent.

That is why we have introduced a legal requirement for all large employers to publish their gender pay and bonus data by April 2018. Employers now need to get on with publishing their pay gap. By shining a light on where there are gaps, they can take action and make sure that we are harnessing the talents and skills of men and women‎.

The gender pay gap in the UK has come down from 21.9% in 2007 and 27.5% of FTSE100 board members are now women, up from 12.5% in 2011.

The UK is already a world leader in this field and today’s announcement builds on:

• the work to get 33 per cent of women on boards by 2020 and eliminate all-male boards in the FTSE 350
• the system of shared parental leave introduced in April 2015, under which mothers can choose to end their maternity leave early and working parents can then decide how they want to share the remaining leave
• the rules on flexible working introduced in June 2014, which extend the right to request flexible working to all employees and place a duty on employers to consider all requests for flexible working in a reasonable manner.

By closing gender pay gaps in work McKinsey estimates that we would add £150 billion to the UK economy by 2025.

Background information

Find out more about the government’s drive to close the gender pay gap including the requirement for all employers with more than 250 to publish their gender pay and bonus data.

The ONS figures show the gender pay gap for all employees has marginally increased from 18.2% in 2016 to 18.4% in 2017. This is the net impact of both the full-time and part-time gender pay gaps moving closer to zero, together with an increase in the proportion of employees working full-time versus part-time.

The full-time gender pay gap was 9.1% and the part-time GPG was -5.1%. These compare to 9.4% and -6.1% respectively for 2016. Similar year-on-year increases have occurred in previous years, for example, in 2013 and 2015, but the longer-term trend is downward, from 27.5% in 1997 and 21.9% in 2007. All figures were calculated from a snapshot taken in April of the relevant year.

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A Downing Street spokesperson said: The UK does not and will not recognise the Unilateral Declaration of Independence made by the Catalan regional parliament. It is based on a vote that was declared illegal by the Spanish courts. We continue to want … read more

Residents and businesses in Southampton are being encouraged to ensure their voice is heard as a public consultation on improvements to the eastern approach to the city enters its final few days.

The six week public consultation, which began on 19 September 2017 runs until 31 October, is seeking views on plans for a major upgrade to junction 8 of the M27 and the A3024 to Southampton city centre.

The plans will increase capacity at junction 8 of the M27 and Windhover roundabout, as well as upgrade 25 junctions along the A3024. Improved safety, upgrades to two railway bridges and better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists are also part of the proposals.

Highways England Project Manager Adriana Chirovici said:

I would like to thank everyone who has been to see the team at an exhibition or have submitted their feedback through the website. These are ambitious plans and there is still time for people who haven’t yet had their say on the proposals to do so before the consultation ends on Tuesday 31 October.

The plans include:

• M27 junction 8 and Windhover roundabout: All approaches to the junctions will be widened, with improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists
• A3024 corridor: Improvements at all 25 junctions along this four and a half mile stretch, including to the cycling and walking facilities along the corridor and for crossings and junction widening at key junctions. This will also help buses run more reliably
• Northam Road rail bridge: Replacement of this single carriageway bridge that crosses the main South Western railway lines near to St Marys Stadium. The new bridge will include two lanes in each direction with improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities
• Bitterne rail bridge: This bridge, a wide single carriageway bridge on the A3024 Bitterne Road West at Bitterne train station will be upgraded to include new separated adjacent pedestrian and cycle facilities with wider footpaths

Highways England held eight information exhibitions at venues across Southampton so that people could see the proposals and put any questions directly to the project team. While the events have now finished, there is still time for people to collect consultation material at various locations in and around Southampton, and also have their say via the website.

Details on the proposals and feedback forms will be available online until 11:45pm on 31 October 2017. For more information, go to the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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Martin Callanan, Lord Callanan, has been appointed Minister of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU), replacing Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St Johns.

Lord Callanan, who spent 15 years as a Member of the European Parliament, previously served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Aviation, International and Security at the Department for Transport.

Baroness Anelay joined DExEU in June 2017, and she has spent 20 years on the front bench.

David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, said:

Joyce has made an invaluable contribution to ensuring a successful departure from the EU through her work representing Britain abroad, and representing the Department in the House of Lords.

She’s been a great part of our Ministerial team and a good friend. I wish her all the best as she returns to the back benches where she will bring an unparalleled level of experience to the task of scrutinising Brexit legislation on its way through the House of Lords.

I’m delighted to welcome Lord Callanan to the Department — he brings with him a wealth of experience in Brussels and a proven ability in political leadership. I look forward to working together as a Ministerial team to continue delivering the important task of negotiating our exit from the European Union and making a success of Brexit.

Baroness Anelay said:

It has been a huge privilege to work with and see first-hand the dedication of my Ministerial colleagues and the Civil Service as we deliver on the referendum result and negotiate the UK’s exit from the EU.

I’m immensely proud of what the Government has achieve while I have been a part of it, and am grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve.

Baroness Anelay was raised to the peerage in 1996 and served as an Opposition Spokesperson for various departments until being appointed Opposition Chief Whip in 2007.

She was appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2015. Prior to this she was Chief Whip in the House of Lords and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. She was made a Privy Counsellor in 2009.

In August 2014, she was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in August 2014, and from July to October 2016 she had additional responsibility at the Department for International Development.

Lord Callanan was a Member of the European Parliament for the North East England constituency from 1999, re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

He became the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group from 2011-2014.

He was created a Life Peer on 24 September 2014 taking the title Baron Callanan, of Low Fell in the County of Tyne and Wear.

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