House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee Formal Minutes of the Committee Session 2017–19 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 The Women and Equalities Committee The Women and Equalities Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Government Equalities Office (GEO). Current membership Mrs Maria Miller (Conservative, Basingstoke) (Chair) Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour, Gower) Sarah Champion (Labour, Rotherham) Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party, Lanark and Hamilton East) Philip Davies (Conservative, Shipley) Vicky Ford (Conservative, Chelmsford) Eddie Hughes (Conservative, Walsall North) Stephanie Peacock (Labour, Barnsley East) Jess Phillips (Labour, Birmingham Yardley) Tulip Siddiq (Labour, Hampstead and Kilburn) Anna Soubry (The Independent Group for Change, Broxtowe) The following members were also members of the Committee during the Parliament. Rosie Duffield (Labour, Canterbury), Kirstene Hair (Conservative, Angus), Jared O’Mara (Labour, Sheffield Hallam), Teresa Pearce (Labour, Erith and Thamesmead), Mr Gavin Shuker (Independent, Luton South) and Tulip Siddiq (Labour, Hampstead and Kilburn) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published on the Committee’s website by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/womenandequalities Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Jyoti Chandola (Clerk), Radhika Handa (Deputy Clerk), Tansy Hutchinson, Mariam Keating and Louise Whitley (Committee Specialists), Ellie Goodchild (Senior Committee Assistant), and Mandy Sullivan (Committee Assistant). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Women and Equalities Committee, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6123; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. 2 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 Formal Minutes Wednesday 13 September 2017 Members present: Mrs Maria Miller, in the Chair1 Angela Crawley Jared O’Mara Philip Davies Jess Phillips Rosie Duffield Mr Gavin Shuker Kirstene Hair Tulip Siddiq 1. Declaration of interests Members disclosed their interests, in accordance with the resolution of the House of 13 July 1992. (For details of declarations of interests, see Appendix below.) Mrs Maria Miller declared a non-pecuniary interest as a trustee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK. Philip Davies declared a non-pecuniary interest as a parliamentary spokesperson for the campaign against political correctness. Rosie Duffield declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of UNISON. Jared O’Mara declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of Unite. Jess Phillips declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of Unite. Mr Gavin Shuker declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of USDAW. Tulip Siddiq declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of the GMB and as a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. 2. Confidentiality and privilege The Committee considered this matter. 3. Committee procedure and administration The Committee considered this matter. Ordered, That the public be admitted during the examination of witnesses unless the Committee orders otherwise. Resolved, That witnesses who submit written evidence to the Committee are authorised to publish it on their own account in accordance with Standing Order No. 135, subject always to the discretion of the Chair or where the Committee orders otherwise. 1 Elected by the House (Standing Order No. 122B) 12 July 2017, see Votes and Proceedings 13 July 2017 3 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 Resolved, That the Committee shall not consider individual cases. Resolved, That the Committee delegate the following matters to the Chair: (a) Engaging in correspondence on Committee matters which are not sufficiently significant to require approval by the Committee or is of a routine nature; (b) Arranging informal meetings in Westminster on matters relating to the Committee’s remit (for example, with visiting parliamentarians); (c) Amending the timing of committee meetings, where necessary; (d) Authorising the issue of press notices about forthcoming evidence sessions, new inquiries and reports; (e) Deciding to which parliamentary proceedings Committee Reports should be tagged for debate in the House (or Westminster Hall) and, subject to a degree of prior negotiation, proposing reports to the Liaison Committee for debate in Westminster Hall. 4. Future programme The Committee considered this matter. Resolved, That the Committee inquire into the work of the Government Equalities Office. Resolved, That the Committee inquire into the work of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. 5. Women in the House of Commons Resolved, That the Committee inquire into women in the House of Commons. 6. Fathers and the workplace Resolved, That the Committee inquire into fathers and the workplace. Resolved, That the Committee take oral evidence in private from a panel of fathers. Resolved, That Adrienne Burgess be appointed as Specialist Adviser to assist the Committee in matters related to fathers and the workplace. (For details of declarations of interests, see Appendix below.) 7. Older people and employment Resolved, That the Committee inquire into older people in employment. 8. Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities Resolved, That the Committee inquire into tackling inequalities faced by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. 4 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 Resolved, That the Committee undertake visits in connection with this inquiry to Kent, Yorkshire and one other location. 9. UN Commission on the Status of Women Resolved, That the Committee prepare a bid for funding for a delegation to attend the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in March 2018. 10. Ensuring strong equalities legislation after the EU exit The Committee considered this matter. Resolved, That Professor Colm O’Cinneide be appointed as Specialist Adviser to assist the Committee in matters relating to ensuring strong equalities legislation after the EU exit. (For details of declarations of interests, see Appendix below.) Draft Special Report (Ensuring strong equalities legislation after the EU exit: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2016–17), proposed by the Chair, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. The Government’s response to the Seventh Report from the Committee of Session 2016–17 in the last Parliament was appended to the Report. Resolved, That the Report be the First Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House. 11. Meetings with counterpart committees in the devolved administrations Ordered, That the Chair have leave to travel within the UK to represent the Committee at meetings with counterpart committees in the devolved administrations. [Adjourned till Wednesday 11 October at 9.50 am Appendix Miller, Mrs Maria (Basingstoke) 2. (a) Support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation Name of donor: Nigel McNair Scott Address of donor: private Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 Donor status: individual (Registered 04 July 2017) Crawley, Angela (Lanark and Hamilton East) Nil 5 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 Davies, Philip (Shipley) 1. Employment and earnings Payments from ComRes, Four Millbank, London SW1P 3JA: 9 March 2016, payment of £50 for a survey. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 24 October 2016) 11 March 2016, payment of £75 for a survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 24 October 2016) 24 March 2016, payment of £75 for January 2016 Survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 24 October 2016) 18 July 2016, payment of £75 for April 2016 Survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 24 October 2016) 12 October 2016, payment of £75 for June 2016 Survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 24 October 2016) 25 October 2016, payment of £75 for a survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 07 November 2016) 9 December 2016, payment of £75 for a survey. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 16 December 2016, payment of £50 for a survey. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 21 December 2016, payment of £50 for a survey. Hours: 35 mins. (Registered 18 January 2017) Payments from Dow Jones & Company, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY 10036, for articles in Heat Street: 28 December 2016, received £400 for two articles. Hours: 3 hrs. (Registered 09 January 2017) 15 February 2017, received £400 for two articles. Hours: 2.5 hrs. (Registered 16 February 2017) 17 March 2017, received £800 for four articles published on 6, 13, 20 and 27 of February 2017. Hours: 5 hrs (75 mins per article). (Registered 17 March 2017) 17 April 2017, received £800 for four articles published on 6, 13, 20 and 27 March 2017. Hours: 5 hrs (75 mins per article). (Registered 19 April 2017) 10 May 2017, received £600 for three articles. Hours: 3 hrs 45 mins (75 mins per article). (Registered 12 June 2017) 4 August 2017, received £400 for two articles. Hours: 2.5 hrs (75 mins per article). (Registered 04 August 2017) Payments from YouGov, 50 Featherstone Street, London EC17 8RT, for opinion surveys: 6 Women and Equalities Committee: Minutes of Proceedings 2017–19 12 May 2016, received £80. Hours: 1 hr. (Registered 09 January 2017) 23 June 2016, received £40. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 10 August 2016, received £80. Hours: 1 hr. (Registered 09 January 2017) 17 November 2016, received £25. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 25 November 2016, received £60. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 14 December 2016, received £60. Hours: 40 mins. (Registered 09 January 2017) 1 August 2017, received £200 from Ipsos MORI, 3 Thomas More Square, London E1W 1YW, for a survey.