Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what guidance her Department issues to employers on the rights of biological women under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity and confidence that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the term ‘woman’ refers to a biological woman.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to support organisations, including workplaces, with updated guidance; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work. All government departments should follow the ruling.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the provision of female-only health services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made an assessment of the merits of female-only health services. It is for integrated care boards and trusts to commission and deliver services suitable to their local population.

Services within the National Health Service are patient centred, and the NHS Constitution is clear that patients have the right to receive care and treatment that is appropriate to them, meets their needs and reflects their preferences.

Patients are able to request that intimate care is provided by someone of the same sex. This is recognised through accompanying Care Quality Commission statutory guidance to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. In line with this guidance, we expect that providers will make every reasonable effort to respect patient preferences.

The Government remains committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 45761 on Women, when the updated Statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations will be published.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Timeframes for publication of the updated Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations is a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once it has been submitted. Further information is available in the EHRC’s update, published on 14 May online at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/news/update-arrangements-code-practice-consultation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of hectares of (a) agricultural land, (b) Grade 1 agricultural land, (c) Grade 2 agricultural land, (d) Grade 3a agricultural land, (e) Grade 3b agricultural land, (f) Grade 4 agricultural land, (g) Grade 5 agricultural land, (h) brownfield land in (i) the UK, (ii) Great Britain, (iii) England and (iv) England broken down by (A) region and (B) county.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

An estimate will be made when an updated Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) map is published later this year.

Land classification is a devolved matter, and each nation within the UK takes a different approach. In England and Wales, the ALC system is used to assess agricultural land quality.

The Government remains committed to maintaining accurate land classification data to support planning and policy decisions. The new strategic-scale ALC map will replace the 1960s provisional map in England, ensuring alignment with current ALC guidelines and including the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have a gender recognition certificate.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The number of prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate is published in the annual HM Prison & Probation Service Offender Equalities Report.

In 2023/24, there were 10 prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate. The full report can be viewed here: HMPPS Offender Equalities Report 2023/24 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 45763 on Women, when he expects his review of delivering same-sex accommodation guidance to be completed.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Health Service is reviewing its Delivering same-sex accommodation guidance, and will ensure that it reflects the Supreme Court’s ruling and is aligned with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory guidance, when this becomes available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45772 on Passports: Sex, whether the sex marker confirms the (a) biological and (b) legal sex of the passport holder.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 31 March to question 41234.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews his Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 14 May 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following the election, the Government outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones, across the missions, for this Parliament.

As the House of Commons would expect, the Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on the GOV.UK website as they are published.

Found: Jess Asato (Labour; Lowestoft) Mrs Sureena Brackenridge (Labour; Wolverhampton North East) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Jess Asato (Labour; Lowestoft) Mrs Sureena Brackenridge (Labour; Wolverhampton North East) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Education Committee members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Education Committee members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Brackenridge (Labour, Wolverhampton North East) (added 21 Oct 2024) 18 of 19 (94.7%) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Thursday 22 May 2025 Negatived on division_NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Negatived on division_NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: COMMITTEE STAGE Wednesday 21 May 2025 18 _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson Rachael Maskell Andrew Rosindell .

Found: COMMITTEE STAGE Tuesday 20 May 2025 44 _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson Rachael Maskell Andrew Rosindell .

Found: _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson Rachael Maskell Andrew Rosindell .

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson Rachael Maskell Andrew Rosindell .

Found: REPORT STAGE Thursday 15 May 2025 36 _96 Dr Caroline Johnson Rachael Maskell Andrew Rosindell .

Found: COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 15 May 2025 56 _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: _96 Dr Caroline Johnson ★.

Found: _NC47 David Simmonds Paul Holmes Lewis Cocking Dr Caroline Johnson .

Found: Amendment 341 to this clause was tabled by Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative).

Submit Evidence (by 31 Jul 2025)

The UK’s higher education sector is in trouble. Dozens of universities are making redundancies and cuts to courses, trying to stay afloat amid uncertainty over where their money is coming from.