Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Cabinet Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The department is actively taking forward work to consider and implement the implications of the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 judgment and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) draft Code of Practice. The department will update its internal policies as necessary to ensure they remain compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department for Education has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department is actively taking forward work to consider and implement the implications of the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 judgment and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) draft Code of Practice. The department will update its internal policies as necessary to ensure they remain compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department is actively taking forward work to consider and implement the implications of the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 judgment and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) draft Code of Practice. The department will update its internal policies as necessary to ensure they remain compliant with the Equality Act 2010
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Defence has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently reviewing its internal policies considering recent legal developments, including the judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s draft Code of Practice for services, public functions, and associations. The MOD will ensure that any changes are legally compliant and carefully developed. The MOD remains committed to full compliance with the Equality Act 2010 while maintaining a respectful, supportive, and inclusive workplace.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Home Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The department is considering the implications of the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 judgment and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) draft Code of Practice. The department will update its internal policies as necessary to ensure they remain compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department of Health and Social Care has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they expect to be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is reviewing its internal policy and guidance in light of the Supreme Court ruling on 16 April 2025 and the draft Code of Practice published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 21 May 2026. We are expecting to publish revised policy and guidance in July 2026, subject to first completing an Equality Impact Assessment and concluding the relevant departmental engagement.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they have received on whether the Equality and Human Rights Commission code of practice for services, public functions and associations has any bearing on employers' obligations; and, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), on what timescale they will ensure that all government departments comply with the law as set out in the judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), where it is set out that a document such as the EHRC’s Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations cannot be laid in the pre-election period.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education has declined to lay before Parliament a draft statutory code submitted by an arm's-length body between January 2015 and December 2025, where that code has not been subject to litigation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has not declined to lay a draft statutory code submitted by an arm’s length body. The government is currently considering a submitted code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40-day period to consider the draft code.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to update the annual data requirement to ensure that police forces record and submit data on the biological sex of suspects, victims and complainants; and if so, when this will take place.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is carefully considering the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex within the Equality Act in the context of what needs and is proportionate to record for a policing purpose and the Annual Data Requirement will be updated in due course.