Women and Equalities written question – answered at on 23 May 2024.
Emily Thornberry
Shadow Attorney General
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Minister without Portfolio's article of 12 May 2024 in The Sunday Telegraph, when the Equality and Human Rights Commission is expected to withdraw the requirement in their contract with Be Applied Ltd., procurement reference EHRC 2021-29, for organisational wide diversity reporting; and whether the projected cost of that contract up to 24 January 2025 will be reduced through the withdrawal of that requirement.
Maria Caulfield
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Yes2 people think so
No1 person thinks not
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A Minister without Portfolio is a government minister with no specific responsibilities.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
Prorogation takes the form of an announcement on behalf of the Queen by the Lord Chancellor in which he reviews the session's work.
Prorogation brings to an end parliamentary business for that sitting. There are some excpetions as to what Bills can be carried over to the next parliamentary session.
House of Parliament 'Major Parliamentary Occasions - http://www.parliament.uk/works/occasion.cfm#prorog
BBC News A-Z Parliament - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/p-q/82524.stm
