Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether public money grants to bodies such as ParkRun are conditional on them adhering to the Public Sector Equality Duty; and whether particular funds to promote women’s activity rates then collect monitoring data by biological sex.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory duty set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which applies to public authorities and other bodies who exercise public functions.
The monitoring and reporting criteria for funding programmes is determined by the awarding body based on an overall assessment of the fund objectives. If the funded organisation is a public authority or a body that exercises a public function, then that organisation will be legally obliged to comply with the PSED as a result of section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.
Parkrun does not provide participation data by sex or gender to Sport England.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Sport England about the options for children in responding to questionnaires of “Boy/ Girl/ Other/ Prefer not to say”.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government regularly discusses approaches to surveying with Sport England but has not held discussions on this topic specifically.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the General Medical Council about its policy of describing doctors on its register by gender rather than by sex.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It sets and enforces the standards all doctors must adhere to. While the GMC is independent of the Government, it is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties.
The GMC maintains an official list of doctors, which is called the List of Registered Medical Practitioners. The GMC is obliged under the Form and Content of the Register Regulations to obtain and publish information in relation to a doctor's gender rather than sex. The Government has not had discussions with the GMC about the doctors on its register being described by gender rather than by sex.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS England about whether biological sex determines which chaperone to be offered to patients who request a chaperone of a particular sex.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All patients should be given the opportunity to state their preferences in relation to the sex of their chaperone, and this must be documented in their clinical records. Patients should have the opportunity to decline a particular person if that person is not acceptable to them for any reason. They must then decide if they wish the examination to proceed or be rescheduled, and this decision should also be recorded in their clinical records.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has published guidance on intimate examinations and chaperones, which provides a framework for all healthcare professionals. This sets out when and why a patient may need a chaperone, and the considerations that should be given. The GMC’s guidance is available on their website, in an online only format.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect new guidance on the treatment of politically exposed persons to be implemented.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority is currently consulting on changes to its guidance on the treatment of politically exposed persons (PEPs) for anti-money laundering purposes, following a review of the treatment of domestic PEPs by financial institutions. The consultation closes on 18 October 2024. The FCA expects that the revised guidance will be published and brought into effect in the first half of 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider adopting a similar approach to visa and passport arrangements with Italy and Germany as they have with France.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
We would consider negotiating similar arrangements with other countries if they approached us in the same context.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the guidance issued by Cambridge University Hospitals which states that: "Staff will be used as chaperones according to the gender they identify ... [and] will not share their trans status with patients nor would it be appropriate for any colleague either to share the trans status or another colleague with a patient or visitor”; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of this guidance with the Government's definition of sex as biological sex in the context of intimate care.
Answered by Lord Markham
Cambridge University Hospital does not recognise the wording provided in the question as belonging to their chaperone’s guidance. The Government has been clear about the importance of biological sex, and the importance of respecting the privacy, dignity, and safety of all patients.
Our proposed changes to the NHS Constitution reinforce the National Health Services’ commitment to providing single-sex wards, and will empower patients to request that intimate care is carried out by someone of the same biological sex, where this is reasonably possible.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the UK–German Cultural Commission has had regarding youth mobility and school trips since its reinstatement in 2023.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK successfully hosted the UK-Germany Cultural Commission on 7 May. The Minister for Europe co-chaired the event at Lancaster House with German Foreign Office Minister of State Katja Keul, where - together with a range of UK and German cultural organisations - they celebrated the strong links between the two countries. They also discussed a range of topics, including mobility between the UK and Germany, and opportunities for young people.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to engage in dialogue through the UK–German Cultural Commission to facilitate youth mobility and school trips between the UK and Germany.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK successfully hosted the UK-Germany Cultural Commission on 7 May. The Minister for Europe co-chaired the event at Lancaster House with German Foreign Office Minister of State Katja Keul, where - together with a range of UK and German cultural organisations - they celebrated the strong links between the two countries. They also discussed a range of topics, including mobility between the UK and Germany, and opportunities for young people.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Charity Commission about the governance of the Royal Albert Hall.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
As the governmental sponsor of the Charity Commission, Ministers and officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet the Charity Commission to discuss a range of matters, including the Royal Albert Hall.