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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions the provision of mandatory training for his Departmental staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 has been cited by his Department as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.

Defra requires all staff to complete ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ training on the Civil Service Learning website.

Although the statutory defence contained in s109(4) Equality Act 2010 is therefore available for Defra to plead in cases where this is appropriate, we do not collate data about the defence that has been put forward in each discrimination case.