Bradford has hosted a high-profile visit by members of a Government task force investigating the pay gap between men and women.

Three members of the Women and Work Commission spent a day visiting the Asda supermarket in Rooley Lane.

They also visited Quest for Economic Development (QED), a social enterprise which helps ethnic minority women find work and where one of the commissioners, Adeeba Malik, is deputy chief executive.

The trio also visited an all-women "taster" course in plumbing at Bradford College.

The 15-strong commission, set up last September, is due to present its findings on the gender gap in pay to the Prime Minister in September.

Miss Malik said there were a number of issues reinforcing the disparity in pay between men and women, particularly the cost of child care.

"Bradford is an important place to visit," said Miss Malik. "There's a lot of home working, which seems to be predominant among ethnic minority women. But we are seeing moves to encourage women into non-traditional occupations and it is good to hear their experiences and how they have broken down the barriers."

She said another key issue was whether young women were getting the right kind of education and careers advice. "And we're looking at why we have occupation segregation with men doing the jobs they do and women in their roles."

Another commission member, Sally Hopson, said: "We are really pleased to speak to women in Bradford today about the barriers they face in employment and the diversity of their experiences.

"There are many reasons why women face problems in getting into work, getting equal pay or getting the job they want. We need to hear directly from women up and down the country so that we can make our recommendations to the Government."

l The Government has pledged extra support for ethnic minority entrepreneurs in Bradford after publication of a report by the National Employment Panel.

The report recommends extra support for five cities, including Bradford, to promote enterprise.

Its recommendations include language training and centres of vocational excellence.