Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 1
8th Report - Female entrepreneurship
Published 22 Oct 2025
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Female entrepreneurship All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
It should be a concern to all that a tiny fraction of venture capital investment goes to supporting women-led businesses. Despite numerous reviews and initiatives this situation is getting worse not better. Venture capital firms must do more to challenge themselves into providing investment on a more equitable basis including by increasing the proportion of women on investment committees as a priority. The Government should use the levers at its disposal to encourage systemic change in the industry. We set out some key steps it can take later in this Report. (Conclusion, Paragraph 19)
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 8th Report - Female entrepreneurship (HC 711), 22 October 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 January 2026 (deadline 22 December 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's focus and cites existing initiatives, but does not adopt the call for a separate female entrepreneurship strategy, a dedicated Minister and Office, or a new Female Enterprise Investment Scheme.
- On a separate strategy and dedicated Minister, the government states that women-led businesses "should be embedded in everyone's agenda" and integrated into mainstream policies, rather than "seen as distinct from the wider economy".
- On a Female Enterprise Investment Scheme, it says a scheme with "targeted differential rates" would raise "complex design and compliance issues which would need to be examined carefully", and would need to be assessed against the fiscal context.
- On mandatory venture capital reporting, it says the FCA does not request reporting from venture capital firms on deals, and that this recommendation "would not align" with the FCA's plans to streamline returns.
- On parental leave, it says the Parental Leave and Pay review will run for around 18 months, and that decisions on reform or legislation "will depend on the findings of the review, ministerial priorities, and the wider fiscal context".