NHS: Single-sex Spaces for Staff

Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to work with noble Lords today in a slightly different capacity. As I come from a place where we happily worked cross-party, it is wonderful to be here; I bring a slightly different perspective, I think.

The Supreme Court judgment might have brought some aspect of legal clarity, but it has also created significant social uncertainty for trans people. According to my daughter, who is a teacher, it has in many instances brought extreme worry and distress for her pupils; she phoned me at half seven this morning to reiterate that point. In my view, there is a duty of care for His Majesty’s Government to show leadership in helping trans people in the UK to feel safe, no matter the environment or the service, and to feel valued and included.

His Majesty’s Government must engage with the creation of the statutory guidance to ensure that it is fit for purpose, non-partisan and designed to support those who are trying to implement it. They must meaningfully engage with all stakeholders—including, critically, the trans community. In the light of the Supreme Court judgment, do His Majesty’s Government have plans to alter the law so that at least those with a GRC will be regarded as women; and to make provision for those who are non-binary and intersex?

I thank your Lordships for hearing me and for hearing the concerns of my daughter.