Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2026, to Question 14405, on Bank Notes: Design, in what regard is responding to the Bank of England bank notes consultation within the departmental remit of the Office for Equality and Opportunity.

The design of bank notes is a matter for the Bank of England, which is independent of the Government. There has been no engagement between Cabinet Office or Equalities Ministers and the Bank of England on banknote design and imagery. Officials in the Office for Equality and Opportunity responded to an email from a Bank of England counterpart in August 2025 in relation to their consultation on this topic as part of normal due process – as they did in 2013 under the previous government during a previous review – in line with their responsibilities under the Guide to Handling Correspondence.