To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the facility in Northern Ireland for all-women shortlists which they propose to extend to Northern Ireland in the Equality Bill from 2015 to 2030 has been utilised by political parties. [HL3880]

These voluntary provisions, that were first introduced through the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 which amended both the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 to allow for women-only electoral shortlists to be lawful, offer political parties the facility to address the under-representation of women in elected political office.

We are not aware that the political parties in Northern Ireland have utilised the facility so far. The extension of the current expiry date for the provisions from 2015 to 2030 will approximately double the period, and the minimum number of general elections, during which the use of women-only electoral shortlists would be permissible.