GSD MP Isobel Ellul-Hammond has declared that more could be done to ensure women are better represented in decision-making bodies in the community, starting with those created by the GSLP/Liberal Government.

She has also denounced a purge of “anyone who might be suspected of being a GSD sympathiser” in official boards and committees and their replacement by “GSLP ones,” during the past few months

Mrs Ellul Hammond said: “It is a disgrace that all six members of the new Commission on Democratic and Parliamentary Reform are white, middle-class, men, three of whom are lawyers.

 “Not one woman or minority representative, not one financier or educator. They simply do not represent the diversity of our community.”

She said that out of 24 statutory Government-related bodies that have been Gazetted so far, there are a total of around 148 members and “only 17 are women, some of whom are public servants appointed as secretaries of the Boards.”

Mrs Ellul-Hammond declared: “One would have hoped that as a woman, the Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento, would have ensured more female participation and representation in these committees which influence policy-making and there are plenty of women in Gibraltar more than capable of doing so.”

“Out of the 43 people to have been replaced so far since the new Government came into office, seven women on these Boards have been lost to be replaced by two.

“This is not good enough and what the Government cannot do is pay lip-service to equality through the creation of an ‘Equality’ Minister, but do nothing to advance equality amongst policy-making committees.

“Today we have less women on these committees than we did when the GSD was in Government and, I accept, that more could have been done then. At least we presented three women in our line-up and women form an equal proportion to men on our Executive committee. Over the next four years we hope to place these issues at the top of the political agenda.”