| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Apr 2004 : Column 904W—continued
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Maternity Leave Discrimination
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for Women (1) if she will make a statement on the extent of discrimination against women in the workplace who have returned to work after maternity leave; and if she will estimate how many women have been dismissed in each of the last five years on their return from maternity leave; [167848]
(2) what action she plans to take to penalise companies which discriminate against women returning from maternity leave. [167849]
Ms Hewitt: Women are protected under legislation from discrimination, detriment and dismissal for reasons related to pregnancy or maternity leave. Employers who discriminate against women returning from maternity leave are breaking the law and could be liable to pay compensation. They are harming their own businesses by excluding talented women from the workforce.
Unfortunately there are still cases where women are discriminated against. The following table sets out the outcome of applications made to employment tribunals by women who believe they have been unfairly dismissed on grounds of pregnancy maternity or childbirth and women who believe they have been prevented from returning to work following maternity leave.
The Government welcome any new research in this area and looks forward to the results of the Equal Opportunities Commission's Formal Investigation into pregnancy discrimination.
27 Apr 2004 : Column 905W
| Acas conciliated settlement | Withdrawn or private settlement | Successful at tribunal | Dismissed at hearing (other reasons) | Dismissed at hearing (out of scope) | Disposed of otherwise | Total disposed in period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 369 | 133 | 82 | 73 | 11 | 30 | 698 |
| 2001–02 | 401 | 165 | 64 | 88 | 9 | 19 | 746 |
| 2000–01 | 402 | 130 | 91 | 105 | 14 | 17 | 759 |
| 1999–2000 | 498 | 197 | 92 | 148 | 16 | 10 | 961 |
| 1998–99 | 524 | 208 | 125 | 170 | 19 | 25 | 1,071 |
| Acas conciliated settlement | Withdrawn or private settlement | Successful at tribunal | Dismissed at hearing (other reasons) | Dismissed at hearing (out of scope) | Disposed of otherwise | Total disposed in period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 44 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 80 |
| 2001–02 | 52 | 29 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 101 |
| 2000–01 | 57 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 99 |
| 1999–2000 | 64 | 32 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 127 |
| 1998–99 | 51 | 27 | 10 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 112 |
Note:
Figures provided by Employment Tribunals Service.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Fair Trade Tea and Coffee
Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee whether the (a) tea and (b) coffee available from dispensers in food outlets in the House is of a Fair Trade origin. [167787]
Mr. Dennis Turner: The Refreshment Department was one of the first organisations to support the Fairtrade movement and has done so for many years. All fresh coffee served by the Department is made from beans approved by the Fairtrade organisation, and fairly traded "Clipper" teas are stocked. In February 2004 the Refreshment Department installed new triple brew vending machines in various locations throughout the Parliamentary Estate. The fresh coffee dispensed by these new machines is fairly traded.
GM Food
Norman Baker To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what the Committee's policy is on the purchase of GM food. [167786]
Mr. Dennis Turner: The Refreshment Department remains aware of consumer concern about the presence of GMOs in food and in response to this concern continues to pursue a policy of avoiding, wherever identifiable, the procurement of foods that contain genetically modified organisms. The Refreshment Department will be in contact with its food suppliers once the consultation exercise on the GMO Traceability and Labelling Regulations has been concluded and guidance has been finalised.
Organic Food
Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what steps he is taking to promote the consumption of organic food in House outlets. [167785]
Mr. Dennis Turner:
The Refreshment Department is a member of the Soil Association and recognises the significant demand for organic produce. The
27 Apr 2004 : Column 906W
Department pursues a policy of purchasing organic produce or ingredients wherever consistent availability and quality can be guaranteed by suppliers, and where it is judged that the price to be passed on to the Department's customers is affordable.
The Refreshment Department sells a range of organic foods; the Terrace and 'Debate' cafeterias offer an extensive range of organic yoghurts, sandwiches, muffins, biscuits and drinks. All the coffee served in Portcullis House is organically grown and fairly traded. From time to time, promotions are run to promote organic awareness, sometimes in conjunction with regional promotions.
Parliamentary Passes
Jim Dowd: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if she will list all the classes of pass to the Parliamentary estate, describe each category covered and give the number of each that are currently valid. [164657]
Mrs. Roe: The classes and descriptions of pass categories are set out in the table. This information is already in the public domain. However, for security reasons I am sure the hon. Gentleman will understand, I am not prepared to give the numbers of passes in each category.
Note:
The Lord Chancellor's Department passes are being changed to Category 17 on renewal.
27 Apr 2004 : Column 907W
27 Apr 2004 : Column 908W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |