THE gap between men and women's pay closed slightly in the past year as women's earnings grew faster, figures revealed yesterday.

Women's average hourly pay was 82 per cent of men's in the year to April, compared with 81 per cent in the previous year.

Hourly pay increased by 3.5 per cent for women, while for men it increased by 1.1 per cent, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

But the gap was as wide as £200 a week in some areas of the UK, including London.

The North-East gap between men and women's pay was one of the narrowest, at about £90 a week. But figures also showed that the North-East had some of the lowest earnings in the country.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said she welcomed the "encouraging news" at the narrowing gap, especially a fall in the part-time pay gap.

She said: ''This shows that our policies to improve the choices and opportunities open to women in the labour market are setting the right framework for the pay gap to close.

"We are tackling a range of barriers by providing access to childcare, to flexible working arrangements and promoting women's participation in key areas where they are under-represented.

"However, we need to recognise that to some extent, the pay gap reflects valid choices that men and women make. We want to make sure that women aren't penalised for those choices - not to tell them what choices they should be making.