Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce legislation to implement reforms in England and Wales similar to those proposed in the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill to ensure the equal treatment of transgender people across Great Britain; and, if so, when.

The Government held a public consultation on the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in 2018, which we responded to in 2020. We carefully considered the responses to the consultation and concluded that the balance struck in the legislation is correct. There are proper checks and balances in the system for people who want to change their legal sex and we have no intention of changing the current legislative requirements.

We are progressing in our commitment, announced at the same time in 2020, to make the gender recognition process more straightforward and accessible. That is why we have already reduced the fee to £5 and are digitising the application process to make it more accessible and easier to navigate. As the Minister for Equalities recently announced, we will also be removing, via a remedial order, the term ‘disorder’ from the definition of gender dysphoria in the 2004 Act.