Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to her statement of 22 September 2020, Official Report, HCWS462, that she will improve the process and experience of transgender people applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate by making it kinder and more straightforward, what the Government's timeline is for developing that new process; whether she plans to consult stakeholders on that new process; and what the new nominal fee for that certificate will be.

We want transgender people to be free to live and to prosper in modern Britain. We have looked carefully at the issues raised in the consultation, including the impact of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 on trans people. It is the Government’s view that the balance struck in this legislation is correct, in that there are proper checks and balances in the system and also support for people who want to change their legal sex.

We will make the gender recognition certificate process kinder and more straightforward. We will cut bureaucracy by enabling applications via gov.uk and reduce the fee. We are working with the Ministry of Justice, who lead tribunal fees policy, to agree the new fee level and plan the implementation of this change. We will be consulting relevant stakeholders to ensure implementation works from an operational perspective, but will not be consulting more widely since the GRA consultation provides evidence on people’s views of the fee.