Rt Hon Justine Greening MP Minister for Women and Equalities Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street SWlP 3BT November 2017.

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1 Petitions Committee House of Commons, London SW1 A OAA Tel petitionscommittee@parliament.uk Website Rt Hon Justine Greening MP Minister for Women and Equalities Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street SWlP 3BT November December 2017 \'-Q.. ) High heels and workplace dress codes We are writing to ask for an update on the Government's progress in implementing recommendations made by the previous Petitions and Women and Equalities Committees in the last Parliament. You will recall that our inquiry was prompted by a petition started by Nicola Thorp, who was sent home from work without pay for refusing to wear high heels. We heard from many women who had encountered similar discriminatory dress codes in the workplace. The petition, together with our report, was debated on 6 March We were grateful for the Minister's constructive contribution to that debate. We published the Government's response to our report shortly before Parliament was dissolved for the general election. We would be grateful if you could let us know what progress the Government has made in implementing undertakings made in the Government's response to the report and by the Minister in the debate. We recognise that the general election will necessarily have delayed some work; where that is the case, it would be very helpful to know when it will now be completed.

2 In particular, we would be grateful for answers to the following questions: 1) In its response, the Government accepted the Committees' rec9mmendation that it should produce guidance for both employers and employees about the application of the law. It undertook to produce guidance during the summer of2017 and to work with Acas, the EHRC and the HSE to explore other options for raising further awareness of the law on dress codes. When does the Government now expect to produce that guidance? 2) The Government agreed to consider the options available for promoting this guidance to a student audience. What consideration has the Government given to this question? 3) The Government's response reported that the Equality Advisory and Support Service had agreed to refer any contacts about dress codes to the EHRC, to establish whether any further action is needed from Government or other bodies. We would be grateful for an update about the results of this, and how and when the Government will decide whether further action is needed. We would be grateful for a response to this letter by Thursday 11 January. Helen Jones MP Chair ofthe Petitions Committee Rt Hon Mrs Maria Miller MP Chair ofthe Women and Equalities Committee

3 Helen Jones MP Chair, Petitions Committee House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 17 April 2018 Dear Helen, EMPLOYER DRESS CODES Thank you for your letters asking for a progress update on dress code guidance. I apologise for the delay in responding to the Committee s letters, and am now doing so as the Minister for Women and Equalities. I would like first to say how delighted I am to have taken on this role within Government and how much I am looking forward to working with the Women and Equalities Select Committee on dress codes and more generally. Both the Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee recommended in their joint report that: The Government Equalities Office should work with Acas and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that detailed guidance for employers is published, to help them to understand how discrimination law and health and safety law apply to workplace dress codes. In view of the evidence we have received about the particular impacts of discriminatory dress codes on younger workers, this awareness campaign should also be extended to include all sixth form and further and higher education institutions in England. I am pleased to confirm that we will be publishing the Dress Code Guidance on the GOV UK website relatively shortly; and discussions are underway on Department for Education officials working with partners in the Higher Education sector to explore the best way to communicate the guidance to providers and students in sixth forms and Higher Education institutions. The guidance reflects input from a range of key external stakeholders, including: Acas The EHRC

4 The Health and Safety Executive The TUC The Women s Business Council Your inquiry uncovered a range of alleged practices by some employers that may well breach the 2010 Equality Act s prohibition of direct and indirect sex discrimination in employment. We have made the new guidance as clear and comprehensive as possible, to ensure that it is useful to employers, to employees, and to young people about to enter the labour market. Your letter also refers to the GEO sponsored Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) agreeing to refer any contacts about dress codes to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The EASS has confirmed that their staff started sending dress code referrals to the EHRC in February 2017, with nine cases referred so far. Of these, two were about potential sex discrimination in the workplace. We will continue to work to ensure women are not excluded from or held back in the workplace by outdated and unlawful attitudes and practices, like discriminatory dress codes. I am copying this letter to Rt Hon Maria Miller, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee. Yours sincerely, RT HON AMBER RUDD MP

5 Helen Jones MP Chair, Petitions Committee House of Commons London SW1A OAA 17 May 2018 Dear Ms Jones, EMPLOYER DRESS CODES Following the letter to you of 17 April from the then Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, I am writing as Director of the Government Equalities Office with an update on the publication of the Government s dress codes guidance. I am pleased to report that the guidance was published on Gov UK today. A link to the guidance is here: I have also enclosed a hard copy for your ease of reference. As you know, this guidance has been produced as a result of the work carried out by your Committee and that of the Women and Equalities Committee, following your inquiry into high heels and workplace dress codes. Your joint report highlighted a range of practices that might be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 for example, requirements to wear high heels; skirts above the knee; un-buttoned blouses; and repeatedly applied make-up. In developing this guidance, the Government has benefited from input and advice from key external stakeholders, including the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Trades Union Congress and the Women s Business Council.

6 We are now taking steps to publicise the availability of this guidance to employers, employees and young people in education who may be about to enter the labour market. Any assistance that the Petitions Committee can provide in this respect would be very much appreciated. For example, perhaps a link to the guidance could be added to the Committee website. I have written in similar terms to the Rt. Hon. Maria Miller MP, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee. Yours sincerely, Hilary Spencer. Director Government Equalities Office