Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance (1) departments; and (2) the Equality and Human Rights Commission; have issued to (a) public sector, organisations and (b) private-sector, organisations running internships schemes which are not open to certain groups based on their protected characteristics.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prevents employers from treating people more favourably because of a particular protected characteristic. The positive action provisions in the Act along with certain disability provisions allow some limited exceptions to this general principle of discrimination law, and employers need to understand how these exceptions work in order to use them effectively and avoid straying into unlawful positive discrimination.
In April 2023, the previous government published guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. The guidance is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will require driving licences to list only an individual's biological sex.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Driving licences do not currently specify the sex or gender of the licence holder and there are no plans to change this.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether the Passport Office will require passports to list only an individual's biological sex.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided to PQ UIN 41234 on 31 March.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the policy of the Government Property Agency on gender neutral toilets in government buildings outside of England where the statutory guidance Toilet Accommodation: Approved Document T, updated on 1 October 2024, does not apply.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) follows the building regulations and relevant legislation of the devolved nations it is operating in.
The GPA has adopted the principles laid out in Toilet Accommodation: Approved Document T into its Workplace Design guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) its agencies, and (3) NHS England, hold information about individual GPs who are prescribing hormone treatments and other drugs, such as spiralactone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, to transgender individuals who are (a) older than 18 years old, and (b) younger than 18 years old.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this information. NHS England does hold this information on an exceptional basis when concerns are made about the prescribing practices of individual general practices, including when the concerns have been made as part of a professional standards investigation.
For patients who are under 18 years old, the NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments to under 18s in March 2024, following the findings of the Cass Review into gender services. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues were subsequently restricted as part of an emergency banning order which took effect June 2024.
In August 2024, NHS England wrote to all general practitioners (GPs) in England responsible for prescribing GnRH analogues, to clarify application of this new legislation in clinical practice-based scenarios. In December 2024, the Department announced that the order banning the use of puberty blockers for individuals younger than 18 years old would be made indefinite. A further update to NHS England’s guidance was provided to GPs that same month.
In May 2025, NHS England issued guidance that advised GPs not to support unregulated providers in prescribing hormone treatments for gender incongruence to children and young people under 18 years old.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to GPs by (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) its agencies, and (3) NHS England, about the practice of prescribing hormone treatments and other drugs, such as spiralactone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, to transgender individuals who are (a) older than 18 years old, and (b) younger than 18 years old.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2018 NHS England issued guidance to general practitioners (GPs) about the role of primary care in responding to requests for a shared care approach to prescribing hormone treatments to adult patients when the request is from an online private provider.
For patients who are under 18 years old, the NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments in March 2024, following the findings of the Cass Review into gender services. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues were subsequently restricted as part of an emergency banning order which took effect June 2024.
In August 2024, NHS England wrote to all GPs in England responsible for prescribing GnRH analogues, to clarify application of this new legislation in clinical practice-based scenarios. In December 2024, the Department announced that the order banning the use of puberty blockers for individuals younger than 18 years old would be made indefinite. A further update to NHS England’s guidance was provided to GPs that same month.
In May 2025, NHS England issued guidance that advised GPs not to support unregulated providers in prescribing hormone treatments for gender incongruence to children and young people under 18 years old.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been a call for evidence or consultation to support the review of NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Review of Adult Gender Services is aiming to publish its report later in summer 2025. NHS England and the Government will need time to consider the findings, advice, and recommendations before issuing their response.
The Review has examined records, including patient case notes, and conducted site visits at each of the nine adult gender dysphoria clinics to develop a detailed understanding of the operation and delivery of services within each clinic. Further information about how evidence was gathered is detailed in the published key lines of enquiry, a copy of which is attached.
The Review conducted focus groups with patients of the services, and detailed surveys for patients of the service, their friends and family, and for clinicians delivering these services.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest timetable for the publication of the final report of the review of NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics in England; and whether they intend to inform parliamentarians when they receive that report.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Review of Adult Gender Services is aiming to publish its report later in summer 2025. NHS England and the Government will need time to consider the findings, advice, and recommendations before issuing their response.
The Review has examined records, including patient case notes, and conducted site visits at each of the nine adult gender dysphoria clinics to develop a detailed understanding of the operation and delivery of services within each clinic. Further information about how evidence was gathered is detailed in the published key lines of enquiry, a copy of which is attached.
The Review conducted focus groups with patients of the services, and detailed surveys for patients of the service, their friends and family, and for clinicians delivering these services.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 4 June (HL7528), whether the revised NHS constitution consultation will include the previous proposals about recognising biological sex and protecting single-sex spaces.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A consultation on the NHS Constitution, as part of a 10-year review, was launched by the previous administration in May 2024, and was superseded by the General Election in July 2024. The Government will launch a new consultation on the NHS Constitution, with the exact timings for this to be set out in due course.
The proposals that will be included within the upcoming consultation have been developed from a range of evidence, including feedback from the previous consultation, intelligence gathered as part of the 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise, and the Government’s ambitions for the National Health Service.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the (1) funding, and (2) engagement, with the band Kneecap, with reference to the guidance published on 14 March 2024 Government's principles of engagement.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
I refer the Noble Lady to the answer I gave on 22nd May to question UIN HL7319 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).