Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
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 impact of the decision to disestablish NHS England on plans to establish six new regional gender identity hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.
The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. NHS England has developed a two-year action plan which sets out how it will improve the specialist NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Services, helping to tackle waiting lists, whilst ensuring safe and holistic care. This includes establishing new gender services in each region of England.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
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 impact of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [2025] UKSC 16 on transgender people accessing NHS services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service provides a comprehensive service, available to all patients including transgender patients. This principle is established as part of the NHS Constitution and the Supreme Court ruling does not impact this commitment.
We are clear that all patients should feel comfortable and confident to access the services they need. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by the Government, and trusts should follow the clarity the recent Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case provides.
The NHS is currently reviewing its ‘Delivering same-sex accommodation’ guidance. Ministers have been clear that this needs to be done as soon as possible and we will be working closely with the NHS to ensure we provide NHS organisations with the guidance they need.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Wales and the rest of the UK.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
We are investing an historic £445 million into Welsh rail to right years’ of underfunding by previous governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
This new investment will improve transport links, including for Padeswood on the Borderlands Line through Wrexham, and between Cardiff and Bristol.
This will mean new stations, enable more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we’re creating across Wales.
This announcement also includes providing £48 million over four years to the Welsh Government to continue to upgrade the Core Valleys Lines.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [2025] UKSC 16 on political parties’ use of all-women shortlists.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
The Supreme Court Judgment was clear that for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, biological sex determines whether a person is a woman or not. Accordingly, in relation to the Equality Act 2010’s provisions allowing political parties to use all-women shortlists to increase the number of women standing for election, parties will need to have regard to the recent ruling. A political party wishing to use these Equality Act provisions will need to be satisfied that any such shortlists are lawful.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, If she will take legislative steps to recognise non-binary identities.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring the UK is a welcoming place for all people, regardless of their background or identity, and where they are able to pursue their goals and ambitions without fear of discrimination.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If she will take legislative steps to introduce a gender-neutral marker on passports.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The purpose of identity documents, including passports, is to verify a person’s identity and confirm they are the rightful holder of the document.
Current policy is that only ‘male’ and ‘female’ sexes are recognised for official purposes under UK law, which is reflected in UK passport policy.
There are no current plans to introduce a gender-neutral marker on passports.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [2025] UKSC 16 on the operation of House of Commons services.
Answered by Nick Smith
The House administration has reviewed its policies, services and provisions and has not found that any immediate changes are required as a consequence of the judgment.
These will be further reviewed following publication of the full Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance and, if necessary, amended to ensure the House administration remains in line with the law and the final form of the statutory guidance.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the average waiting time for a practical driving test in the UK.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of April 2025, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 22.3 weeks.
The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre in Scotland, as of 26 May 2025.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.
On 28 May 2025, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price.
This consultation follows the agency’s recent call for evidence. The call for evidence, about the rules and processes for booking and managing practical car driving tests, received almost 27,000 responses.
On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 44 warnings, 120 suspensions, and closed 270 business accounts.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the reselling of block-booked driving tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of April 2025, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 22.3 weeks.
The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre in Scotland, as of 26 May 2025.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.
On 28 May 2025, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price.
This consultation follows the agency’s recent call for evidence. The call for evidence, about the rules and processes for booking and managing practical car driving tests, received almost 27,000 responses.
On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 44 warnings, 120 suspensions, and closed 270 business accounts.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for driving tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of April 2025, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 22.3 weeks.
The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre in Scotland, as of 26 May 2025.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.
On 28 May 2025, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price.
This consultation follows the agency’s recent call for evidence. The call for evidence, about the rules and processes for booking and managing practical car driving tests, received almost 27,000 responses.
On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 44 warnings, 120 suspensions, and closed 270 business accounts.