Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government when they received the most recent piece of required information from the Equality and Human Rights Commission regarding the draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government on what dates they received the past three Equality and Human Rights Commission draft statutory codes; and on what dates those codes were laid in Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government on which date they shared the updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, revised after the For Women Scotland Supreme Court judgement, with the (1) Scottish Government, and (2) Welsh Government, for consultation; and on what date they received replies from those governments.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they responded to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations after consultation with the Scottish and Welsh Governments; whether they responded on 30 June 2025; and if not, on which date they responded.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations was submitted to the Cabinet Office on 8 April 2025; and if not, on what date that draft was submitted.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of banning nudifying a) websites and b) apps.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate deepfakes of themselves online. We will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls.
The Government will legislate in the Crime and Policing Bill – which is currently in Parliament – to ban nudification tools. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools and services designed to create non-consensual intimate images, targeting the problem at its source.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2025, to Question HL11873, on Equality and Human Rights Commission, whether she has consulted Civil Service (a) trade unions and (b) diversity networks on the proposed response and draft Code.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government is considering the draft updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, submitted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. If the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament for a 40 day period.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006. It is important that the correct process for considering the Code is followed to ensure the Secretary of State can make an informed decision. This process does not require consultation with civil service trade unions or diversity networks. The EHRC has consulted on its draft guidance.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish guidance on single sex spaces in line with the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland v. The Scottish Ministers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to Baroness Smith’s answer to Baroness Ludford’s oral question in the House of Lords, dated 19 January 2026, which provides the information you requested.
The Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely sex and gender reassignment.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
Asked by: Lauren Edwards (Labour - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement UIN HCWS1044 on Pensions Update of 11 November 2025, what information his Department holds on the reasons that the findings of the 2007 research report did not lead to a targeted public communications campaign to affected women.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State announced in his oral statement of 11 November 2025 that we will retake the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age.
This was because findings from a 2007 report had not been drawn to the attention of the previous Secretary of State as its potential relevance to the making of her decision was not evident at the time.
The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that we give this full and proper consideration. We will update Parliament on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the written statement of 11 November 2025 on Pension Update, HCWS1044, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Automatic Pension Forecast letters relating to communication of State Pension age changes for 1950's born women.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State announced in his oral statement of 11 November 2025 that we will retake the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age.
This was because findings from a 2007 report had not been drawn to the attention of the previous Secretary of State as its potential relevance to the making of her decision was not evident at the time.
The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that we give this full and proper consideration. We will update Parliament on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.