Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government's plans to introduce statutory sex and relationships education will include a requirement to teach children about consent.

The key aim of the new Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) subjects is to support young people to stay safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain. The statutory guidance must include issues relating to safety in forming and maintaining relationships and the characteristics of healthy relationships.

We have committed to conducting a wide-ranging engagement process to determine the content of regulations and statutory guidance on Relationships Education and RSE. As a result, and as we set out in our policy statement, we expect the subjects will cover the issue of consent in relationships. The regulations will be made via the affirmative resolution procedure, allowing debate and a vote in Parliament, and we will consult on the details of the guidance.