ROADMAP FOR EQUALITY BETWEEN WOMEN AND
MEN 2006-2010 (7034/06)
Letter from the Chairman to Meg Munn MP,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Women and Equality, Department
for Communities and Local Government
Thank you for your letter dated 9 August 2006[155]
which was considered by Sub-Committee G on 19 October.
We are grateful to you for explaining why the
Roadmap approach has been adopted in this case. We are content
with that explanation, although we are still not entirely clear
what is meant by the expression "roadmap" in this context
and would have preferred to have had these proposals presented
in more readily-understandable language,
More specifically, we regret that you have not
responded to our question whether the highly ambitious plans contained
in the Roadmap, however commendable, are realistic and achievable
in the timescale set. It appears from your letter that the Government
are satisfied with the arrangements proposed by the Commission
for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on progress on the implementation
of those plans and are seemingly content to wait and see what
those reports produce. We assume that those reports will be submitted
for Parliamentary scrutiny in due course and will expect the Government,
in doing so, to consider whether the proposals were realistic
and achievable in the first place.
Nor have you commented on how all this activity
is to be managed. I pointed out in my letter dated 5 May that
this was not clear either from the Commission documentation or
your own EM. We will continue to look to the Government to ensure
that this activity does not lead to excessive bureaucracy, duplication
of effort or unforeseen extra expenditure and that it will not
infringe on the competence of Member States or the principle of
subsidarity.
Although it does not specifically say so, your
letter gives the impression that the Roadmap itself has now been
accepted by Member States as a basis for operation and will not
be discussed further. If that is so, we are prepared to release
the document from scrutiny. But we welcome your assurance that
any specific proposals based on the Roadmap will be submitted
for Parliamentary scrutiny under an EM from the Department. We
will expect any such EM to take due account of the general observations
in my letter dated 5 May when assessing these proposals.
We are also grateful to you for promising that
relevent colleagues and departments will be consulted as necessary,
when each specific proposal is produced by the Commission. Because
of the ambitious and often ill-defined nature of these proposals
we will expect that consultation to be full and adequate and look
to you to ensure that those consulted will be given reasonable
time to respond.
Thank you for acknowledging our concerns about
the European Gender Institute and the Fundamental Rights Agency
and for promising to report further developments on the former.
We are preparing a supplement to our Inquiry Report based on the
oral evidence which you gave to Sub-Committee G on 13 July and
the correspondence surrounding it. We will send you a copy as
soon as it is issued.
20 October 2006
Letter from Meg Munn MP to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 20 October regarding
the Commission Communication on the Roadmap for Equality between
women and men 2006-2010, and for the Commission Staff Working
Document giving an Impact Assessment of the Communication.
In regards to whether the plan is achievable
within the timescale set, I would like to reiterate that relevant
departments were consulted on the plan, and based on satisifed
agreement that we can achieve the objectives, we signed up to
the Roadmap. I agree that it is ambitious but also realistic and
will help all Member States to take another step towards achieving
equality between women and men.
I have also noted your concern on ensuring that
the activities in the Roadmap to not lead to excessive bureaucracy,
duplication of effort or unforeseen extra expenditure. I attended
the informal Ministerial meeting in Helsinki in October and I
made the point that any initiative arising as a result of the
Roadmap (in this instance the proposed establishment of an EU
network of women in economic and political decision-making positions)
although worthy, would have to be proportionate and cost effective
for Member States. Officials will continue to work with the Commission
to ensure that all these concerns are thoroughly addressed as
they arise.
I can confirm that the Roadmap has been accepted
by Member States as a basis of operation. I would, therefore,
welcome the release of the document from scrutiny.
I will continue to keep you informed of any
future reports on the Roadmap. I have also recently copied you
in on the current UK proposed negotiating lines on the European
Gender Institute.
21 November 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Meg Munn MP
Thank you for your letter of 21 November. This
was considered by Sub-Committee G on 7 December.
We welcome your efforts to emphasise to your
Ministerial colleagues in Europe how important it is that any
initiative arising as a result of the Roadmap, however worthy,
must be proportionate and cost-effective.
We note that the Roadmap for Equality between
men and women has now been accepted by Member States as a basis
of operation, and we are therefore content to clear this document
from scrutiny.
8 December 2006
155 Correspondence with Ministers, 40th Report of Session
2006-07, HL Paper 187, p 553. Back
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