To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Government response to the Seventh Report of the Women and Equalities Committee, Sexual harassment in the workplace HC1801, when she plans to launch the public consultations.

The Government will launch a consultation shortly covering:

• the evidence for introducing a new duty on employers to prevent harassment;
• extending the protections of the Equality Act to volunteers and interns;
• strengthening and clarifying the laws in relation to third party harassment;
• the evidence for changing employment tribunal time limits for Equality Act 2010 cases.

The Government consultation on tackling the misuse of confidentiality clauses in situations of workplace harassment or discrimination closed on 29 April and we are now considering the responses.