Sport England: Equality Act 2010
Debate between Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I apologise. I did not hear the end of the sentence, which had the question.
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The ruling clarifies the position under the Equality Act. It aligns with what the Government have always said about single-sex spaces. There has been interim guidance from the EHRC, and it is launching a six-week consultation on its draft updated statutory code of practice for services, public functions and associations tomorrow. I encourage all noble Lords to take part if they have views that they would like to feed in.
Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green (CB)
My Lords, the Minister will be aware that Sport England is committed to ensuring that LGBT people get as many opportunities and as much support to get active as others, as she has confirmed. I am slightly confused by the initial snapshot provided by the EHRC, and I wonder whether she can help clarify that. It suggests that trans men can use neither the men’s changing rooms nor the women’s changing rooms, so I am wondering how a trans man might be encouraged to get involved in sport on that basis.
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
We are keen, as I know the noble Baroness is, to make sure that all people, including trans people, can take part in sport. As I have said previously, it is for sports bodies themselves to determine the specific policies, but this will be done in line with guidance that is coming out in due course, on top of the interim guidance from the EHRC, which will be launching a six-week consultation tomorrow. I hope that this will resolve some of the issues that have been raised in relation to the interim guidance. We have ongoing discussions with every relevant body, to ensure that the law is applied in a humane, just and fair way.
Olympics and Paralympics: Competitors in Female Categories
Debate between Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
Absolutely. I wholeheartedly join the noble Lord in congratulating all those who were successful in their respective sports during the summer.
Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green (CB)
I very much thank the Minister for her answers to the questions so far and the manner in which this debate has taken place. Does the Minister agree that we would need to see, through further research, an increase in the level of scientific understanding around gender and sporting participation and a building up of the scientific evidence base, so that sporting governing bodies, rather than a Government, are able to make informed decisions when balancing inclusion with athlete safety, rather than resorting to social media in these cases?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I agree with the noble Baroness that social media is not an appropriate way of assessing athletes’ eligibility to participate in sports. Our sports councils have produced guidance providing domestic sports bodies with a framework to set their own policies for who can participate in their sports. Their guidance, which I read in preparation for this Question, is very pragmatic and based on where we are as a society. It was published after extensive consultation and a review of the existing scientific research. The guidance recognises that there need to be different solutions for different sports, and that the needs of all groups must be considered.