Live webchat about women and work with Maria Miller, Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, TODAY, Thursday 22 November, 1pm to 2pm

[FrancesMumsnet]

Hello, we're very pleased to announce that Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Minister for Women and Equalities will be joining us for a live webchat on Thursday 22 Nov between 1pm and 2pm.

Maria has been the MP for Basingstoke since 2005 and has previously held shadow education and family briefs. Before entering Parliament, Maria worked in advertising. She is married with three children.

This is Maria's second Mumsnet webchat.

Maria is keen to hear your thoughts on how to get more women into work, with a particular focus on getting the right childcare in place for women. She also wants to hear your thoughts on how the government can make workplaces more equal environments, where women can better realise their potential.

Do join us for the webchat. As ever, if you can't make it, please post up your advance questions here.

Thanks,

MNHQ

[MariaMillerMP]

@Porpoise

Hello, Maria.

What's your reaction to the Church of England Synod's decision not to allow women bishops? How do you think it will affect most people's view of the Church of England and its relevance to society today?

I think that it is hugely disappointing. Women make an enormous contribution to church life, and the Church has to properly recognise this. Of course, this is a decision for the Church, but having just come from the House of Commons it is clear how strong the feeling is on this. The Church needs to recognise that concern and act quickly on this issue.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

We've also extended the early years free entitlement to a 130,000 more 2 year olds. All practical help that makes a difference.

What has this got to do with a question about before and after school care?

[MariaMillerMP]

@RatherBeOnThePiste

I am thinking your £500 grants won't go far with respect to increasing provision, not sure in reality it will make much difference to the quantity of places. Not in real terms? . Drop in the ocean springs to mind

These grants are a short term stimulus in these tough times. However they are only part of a much larger package, worth around around £1.9bn.

We particularly targeted the problem of childcare because almost a quarter of those that responded to the childcare commission, which is still ongoing, cited that access to childcare was a real problem.

[slug]

How does David Cameron justify telling the Church of England to "get with the programme" and allow women bishops when he has systematically reduced the number of women in his own cabinet? Have you confronted him with this hypocracy?

[MariaMillerMP]

@thereonthestair

Hi. As a mother of a disabled child I have managed to carry on working in a professional field but only because I am self employed, although legally I am also a "worker". In respect of the childcare I would love to get more support, but like Agnes I can't because the NHS cannot provide the therapy and appointments on the same days of the week. As such even if I wanted to I cannot work in a conventional part time job, because I need to be able to drop everything on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays (variously depending on the appointments). As such I couldn't do a conventional part time job. But as I am self employed I get no tax relief on the childcare I do use. My DH does but as I understand it if we had another child we wouldn't be able to share the benefits of the new flexible maternity/parental leave as these are employment rights not workers rights.

I pay a lot of tax, and am very lucky I have the financial choice to do this. I know so many people who don't because of difficulties with caring for disabled children. I contribute more than I would receive if I gave it all up and went onto benefits/carers allowance etc. But I believe i am penalised for having a disabled child as there is no childcare who can cover the medical needs effectively, I get no tax relief on the amounts I pay for therapists to cover the treatments the NHS can't provide when i have to pay for them so as to avoid giving up work, as I just can't take the NHS appointments all the time and I get no parental leave as i am a worker not an employee. If you want to keep people like me in work and contributing to society have you got any plans to extend family rights to workers, parental leave rights to allow my husband who is an employee to take bits of time off to allow him to liase with the NHS when they cannot seem to make the appointments on a consistent day of the week, or tax relief when we have to in effect employ someone else to provide therapy/childcare/support so the wheels don't come off. If you don't have these plans do you accept that it may in efefct make many more people like me (and Agnes) give up work when we have much to contribute to society?

thereonthestair, finding the right care for a disabled child can be a huge problem, as you know. It's one of the things that makes it so difficult for the parents of disabled children to get back into work. I would like to see much more support for childcarers to get specialist training. The £2m I announced recently is designed to help with things like this.

[Ahardyfool]

I wonder if all the 'free' places that have now been taken in my local nursery - meaning I have to look elsewhere - have been taken by working parents or by those who go straight back home to the couch after the 9am drop off...Like I say, what is the reward for trying to support yourself and your children?

[MariaMillerMP]

@slug

How does David Cameron justify telling the Church of England to "get with the programme" and allow women bishops when he has systematically reduced the number of women in his own cabinet? Have you confronted him with this hypocracy?

Hello slug. Thank you for your question. In fact, the number of women attending Cabinet has not changed. The PM absolutely does get this - that is why we have now got 24 women ministers in the Government. But there is clearly more to be done, and the PM knows my views on this.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

Single parents of school-aged children have no option but to work, yet before and after school care seems to be an after thought in this whole 'package anounced by the government'. How can you 'square' this when your policies for pushing as many single parents into work as possible are swinging into practice now, yet the government's childcare commission intend to look at 'before/after school care' next year?

[Ahardyfool]

"I think that it is hugely disappointing. Women make an enormous contribution to church life, and the Church has to properly recognise this. Of course, this is a decision for the Church, but having just come from the House of Commons it is clear how strong the feeling is on this. The Church needs to recognise that concern and act quickly on this issue"

Why should it be the Church that changes its' thinking? If people wish to go in for such a discriminatory and fantastical belief system, fine...but what does it have to do with an electorate that does not wholly subscribe to same said belief system? Why do the church and state remain intrinsically linked?

[slug]

Oh dear, what a bit of spin. How many women minister's then? 3 is it?

[ChrissyD68]

This £2M you keep mentioning will need to go a long way! Can you explain exactly how you are going to divide it up and actually answer a question properly - 'much more support and for childacerers nd specialist training is a very broad answer . . .

[Meglet]

The right to request flexible working isn't worth the paper it is written on. It should already be in place for working parents.

For instance my role (and many others) at work is not reliant on anyone else, nor do I attend meetings or take phone calls, it is mostly spreadsheets + e-mail based. There isn't a snowballs chance in hell us mere administrators would get flexible working, whereas directors get to work from home.

[Ahardyfool]

Yes, you could help women a lot by letting your eyes fall upon those men that are allowed to deny responsibility for their offspring due to systems that fail to ensure parenting is a co-responsibility.

[ChrissyD68]

Meglet . . . you areabsolutely right but they have to let Clegg announce something

[2andout]

Hi Maria, I would imagine that ensuring women have full control of their fertility and unfettered access to services that enable them to manage this is key to ensuring they can continue to contribute in the workplace. In light of this, what action do you propose to take against groups who protest outside abortion clinics in the UK both harassing and intimidating women who are trying to legally access their services?

[MariaMillerMP]

@letsmakewaves

Frontline and back-office public library staff are being shed by the many 100's. The majority are women. How can you justify this "chat" when your Department is neglecting public libraries and is complicit in the loss of these women's livelihoods? Thank you.

letsmakewaves,

I am clear that libraries are hugely important to communities, and especially to parents. Libraries are thriving - 3/4 of children visit one regularly - and lots of libraries are finding new and innovative ways of attracting families. My own library in Basingstoke is offering a wide range of services to do just that. And while we are on the subject, let me be clear that claims that 100s of libraries have closed is just not true. And remember, SureStart centres are also a fantastic place for parents to find books for their children.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

Hello? Why are my questions being ignored?

[thereonthestair]

thanks. I think you missed my point though. It's support to keep the parents of disabled children in work that's missing. Support for those who are self employed who don't have employment rights (which therefore can't be shared with my employed DH). Tax relief on the childcare that is paid for. (No vouchers for me). Tax relief on the physio appointments that I pay for (which means I can work when the physio is in my home). I am paying out of my business to employ many people, I then pay again out of my net earnings to employ private healthcare and highly trained childcarers physios, SALTs etc. Why is that not tax deductible?

[MariaMillerMP]

@StewieGriffinsMom

That doesn't answer my question about the CSA. The reason many single parent families headed by women live in poverty is because of men refusing to pay maintenance and a government that doesn't give a crap.

The cuts to housing benefit, income support and tax credits have disproportionately affected women forcing more women and children into poverty.

The idea that your government is somehow helping these women is, simply, a lie. You have done anything but.

Instead, you are rewarding men who financially neglect their children.

StewieGriffinsMom, you are absolutely right. That's exactly why we are reforming the CSA - to make it work better in getting children the support they need.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

let me be clear that claims that 100s of libraries have closed is just not true.

I suggest you go back and read letsmakewaves comment again. She said hundreds of staff are being shed, not 100s of libraries. Is it possible to give a striaght answer without twisting what's being said?

[Ahardyfool]

"..., you are absolutely right. That's exactly why we are reforming the CSA - to make it work better in getting children the support they need"

Can you elaborate?

[MariaMillerMP]

@TheMysteryCat

Why have you refused to meet with the heads of any of the UK's regional theatres? I'm not sure if you're aware, but the arts is one sector where women have much more equality at middle management level, although the senior level is still unequal. I'm surprised that given this covers two areas of your professional responsibility, it has not received any consideration.

I'd also like to know what you are going to do in a positive way for women in the arts, many of whom have lost their jobs due to government cuts.

TheMysteryCat - I haven't refused to meet anyone! In fact, I had the opportunity to meet many regional theatre people on Tuesday. We are spending more than £300m to support 179 theatre organisations up and down the country - including 28 producing theatres. And I'm off to see The Promise this evening - looking forward to it.

[TheCrackFox]

Please stop going on about a £2million fund. The govt probably spends more a year on staples, it is a derisory amount.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

StewieGriffinsMom, you are absolutely right. That's exactly why we are reforming the CSA - to make it work better in getting children the support they need.

And charging the resident parent to use the service, taking a % from the maintenance taken from the reluctant non resident parent does that?