Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 10
First Report - Menopause and the Workplace
Published 28 Jul 2022
Paragraph 67
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Menopause and the workplace All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We are disappointed that the long-promised Employment Bill has still not materialised. The Government should bring forward legislation before the end of the current Parliament to make the right to request flexible working a day-one right for all employees. It should issue employers with guidance encouraging them to grant any reasonable requests for flexible working, rather than placing the burden on the employee to justify their request.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, First Report - Menopause and the Workplace (HC 91), paragraph 67, 28 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 January 2023 (deadline 28 September 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and responds to each recommendation, accepting some in full, some in principle or in part, and not accepting others.
- On a public health campaign, the government "accepts this recommendation in principle" but says that "at this stage there is already much work underway or planned". It "will keep the impact of current initiatives under review" and "continue to consider if a public health campaign may be needed in the future".
- On HRT costs, it accepts the recommendation in part. A bespoke HRT pre-payment certificate will be introduced "from April 2023, subject to consultation", costing the equivalent of two prescription charges. It does not accept a national HRT formulary, saying one "is not required".
- On flexible working, the government "accepts this recommendation" and has committed to making it a "day one" right, which it says it can do through regulations. It will "consider guidance alongside legislative developments".
- The government does not accept the recommendations to commence section 14 of the Equality Act 2010 or to consult on a new protected characteristic of menopause, saying it is "not satisfied that the evidence given to the Committee" fully supports new legislation.