Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the guidance on gender-questioning children for schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
I refer the hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 31690.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biological men are in female prisons.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
As per the latest published data on the placement of transgender prisoners (which covers transgender prisoners without gender recognition certificates, and is taken from a snapshot of the prison population on 31 March 2024), there were 2 or fewer transgender women housed within the women’s estate.
This government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous government, and have not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.
Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, following the publication on 19 March of the report by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, whether the House of Lords Administration, in collecting personal data for employment purposes, will ensure that (1) any question about sex should by default concern biological sex, and (2) the form of such questions should be “what is your sex” and the options for response are “male” or “female”.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The House of Lords Administration collects personal data from all employees which is recorded on the HR system and provided to HMRC. Employees must provide the sex recorded on their birth certificate or Gender Recognition Certificate (female or male).
The House of Lords Administration is not within the scope of the independent review commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). However, the absence of a single source of authoritative guidance on data collection on sex and gender and the need for attention to maintain impartiality on issues including gender noted in the review are as relevant to the Administration as they are to public bodies within the report’s scope.
The way in which data about sex and gender is collected by the House of Lords Administration is subject to periodic review. Work is currently underway to consider how we approach these issues in survey and data collection undertaken by the Administration, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology review will be a helpful contribution.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an individual without a Gender Recognition Certificate can change the sex displayed on their passport to be different from their sex recorded at birth.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Passport’s Office policy can be found at Gender recognition policy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The policy was last updated under the previous government in April 2024, and has not been changed since.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to improve LGBT+ support in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.
Answered by Nia Griffith
It is crucial that LGBT+ people in all areas of Britain are safe, included and protected from discrimination. To achieve this we must end the recent politics of division. Work is already underway to fulfil the commitments set out in the new Government’s manifesto, advancing the rights and protections afforded to LGBT+ people.
These include:
In addition to this, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary is now taking part in one of our biggest successes, the HIV opt out testing in emergency departments. During the last 27 months over 2 million HIV tests have been conducted through the programme, indicatively finding over 800 new HIV diagnoses and 540 people previously diagnosed with HIV but not in care.
We are also pleased that a number of primary care service providers in the North-East, particularly in South Shields and Jarrow, are part of the Pride in Practice scheme that is run by the LGBT Foundation. This scheme aims to improve the experiences of LGBT+ people when accessing primary care services. We would encourage primary care providers in the North-East to consider joining this scheme.
Finally, we recognise that LGBT+ people in rural communities have not always had access to the services they need. That is why we are working on ensuring that rural LGBT+ communities can access the support, healthcare and sense of community that larger cities enjoy. For example, our Conversion Practices Victim Support Service is a national service that anyone can access wherever they are in the country.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to improve LGBT+ support in rural communities.
Answered by Nia Griffith
It is crucial that LGBT+ people in all areas of Britain are safe, included and protected from discrimination. To achieve this we must end the recent politics of division. Work is already underway to fulfil the commitments set out in the new Government’s manifesto, advancing the rights and protections afforded to LGBT+ people.
These include:
In addition to this, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary is now taking part in one of our biggest successes, the HIV opt out testing in emergency departments. During the last 27 months over 2 million HIV tests have been conducted through the programme, indicatively finding over 800 new HIV diagnoses and 540 people previously diagnosed with HIV but not in care.
We are also pleased that a number of primary care service providers in the North-East, particularly in South Shields and Jarrow, are part of the Pride in Practice scheme that is run by the LGBT Foundation. This scheme aims to improve the experiences of LGBT+ people when accessing primary care services. We would encourage primary care providers in the North-East to consider joining this scheme.
Finally, we recognise that LGBT+ people in rural communities have not always had access to the services they need. That is why we are working on ensuring that rural LGBT+ communities can access the support, healthcare and sense of community that larger cities enjoy. For example, our Conversion Practices Victim Support Service is a national service that anyone can access wherever they are in the country.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biological males are currently serving a custodial sentence in a women's prison.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The latest published data on the placement of transgender prisoners (which covers transgender prisoners without gender recognition certificates, and is taken from a snapshot of the prison population on 31 March 2024), there were 2 or fewer transgender women housed within the women’s estate.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she is taking steps to simplify the process whereby anyone seeking to change gender in the UK must get approval from a panel of doctors and lawyers.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In our manifesto, we committed to modernising, simplifying, and reforming gender recognition law while upholding the Equality Act and its provisions on single-sex exceptions.
We will remove indignities for trans people whilst retaining the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist doctor.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the draft guidance for gender questioning children in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The department is currently reviewing the draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children, in addition to reviewing the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance and, as such, the government is looking carefully at the consultation responses, discussing with stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, including the final report of the Cass Review which was published post-consultation, before setting out next steps.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the medical assessment required for an individual to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
All medical reports submitted to the Gender Recognition Panel must be supplied by a doctor or a registered psychologist, registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council. The doctor must be both registered with the GMC and also hold a licence to practise. All medical evidence is reviewed by members of the Gender Recognition Panel to ensure its validity.
Each application for a Gender Recognition Certificate is considered on its own merits by the Gender Recognition Panel, informed by the evidence.