Written question asked by Lord Fearn (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 12 December 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 28 December 2017. It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Tuesday, 19 December 2017 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Women: Directors

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislative quotas have existed for women on UK boards since 2010.

Answer: No legislative quotas have existed for women on UK boards since 2010. The Government is strongly committed to increasing the number of women on public and private sector boards and believes that the most effective way of effecting this change is through a voluntary approach, including non-legislative targets. The Government is supportive of the Hampton-Alexander Review into FTSE Women Leaders which has set a target of 33% female representation across FTSE 350 boards by 2020.

Secondary information