As expected the Government has extended the requirement to publish annual gender pay gap reports to the public sector.
The newly published Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 largely mirror the requirements for the private sector and confirms the duty on public sector employers with over 250 staff.
There are two main differences however. The public sector duty is not standalone but is part of a wider existing public sector equality duty to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity. Secondly, the “snapshot” date (which is the date on which a gender pay snapshot must be taken each year) will be different, it is 5 April for the private sector but will be 31 March for public sector employers.
The new regulations also clarify the definition of employment for maintained schools, the army and the police force.