Written questions by Davies.

What steps her Department has taken to implement the Buckland Review of Autism Employment.

We welcomed the Buckland Review of Autism Employment. This made recommendations to employers, third sector organisations and Government on addressing barriers autistic people face when seeking and remaining in employment and the Minister for Employment and I were pleased to meet Sir Robert in October to talk about his findings and key drivers for change in the workplace. He has indicated his willingness to continue to work with the department on this matter and we are continuing to build on those recommendations that were directed to Government, such as working with employers to reform Disability Confident to improve the schemes outcomes and realise the scheme's full potential. As a Government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, and we are looking to build on the Review by gathering expert evidence in line with this expanded focus. In parallel, we are working with other areas of government to promote awareness of neurodiversity amongst employers and we recently announced Keep Britain Working, a major independent review of the employer’s role in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Our expert evidence on neurodiversity at work will be available to inform this independent review which will help ensure employers receive a coherent set of messages from Government about inclusive workplace practices.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for her policies of the 40 safety measures that Ofcom has set out for social media platforms to tackle misogyny.

The Online Safety Act puts new duties on social media companies and search services, making them responsible for their users’ safety. These include new duties tackling illegal content and activity which affects women and girls, including intimate image abuse, exploitation and other forms of abuse.Ofcom will publish draft guidance in February, detailing measures services can take to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) online.The government has set an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG in a decade by improving the police and criminal justice system response, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators, and providing victim support. The steps Ofcom is taking helps supports this mission by tackling harmful content online.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed increases to employer National Insurance contributions on women in full-time work.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook expects that the Employer National Insurance Contributions package will lead to a reduction in the participation rate of 0.1 per cent from 2025-26 onwards. Overall, once the i...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rise in National Insurance contributions on women’s charities.

The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) for tax policy changes. TIINs give a clear explanation of the policy objective and an assessment of the impacts including on the Exchequer, individuals and families, businesses including ci...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the level of national insurance on women’s shelters.

The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) for tax policy changes. TIINs give a clear explanation of the policy objective and an assessment of the impacts including on the Exchequer, individuals and families, businesses including ci...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed increases to employer National Insurance contributions on women in part-time work.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook expects that the Employer National Insurance Contributions package will lead to a reduction in the participation rate of 0.1 per cent from 2025-26 onwards. Overall, once the i...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of National Insurance contributions on young people in part time work.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook expects that the Employer National Insurance Contributions package will lead to a reduction in the participation rate of 0.1 per cent from 2025-26 onwards. Overall, once the i...

Whether she has conducted an impact assessment for enacting the socioeconomic duty in the Equality Act 2010.

The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. We will give careful consideration to the impact of commencement on the public sector, business and charities or voluntary bodies, as well as undertaking an equali...