According to an announcement on the Liberal Democrats website, Leader Nick Clegg has secured a Government amendment to the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, designed to bring S.78 of the Equality Act 2010, ‘Gender pay gap information’, into force, meaning that all businesses ​with 250 employees or more will have to publish the difference between average pay for their male and female employees. The amendment is scheduled to be debated in the House of Lords on 12 March. If approved, regulations must be made bringing S.78 into force no later than 12 months after the Bill gains Royal Assent. Liberal Democrats point out that they have argued for mandatory pay transparency since the coalition was formed on the condition that the decision would remain under review and if a voluntary approach did not work, mandatory reporting would be introduced. It has now emerged that just five companies have chosen to publish their gender pay gap voluntarily. 

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