Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider self-identification of an individual as (1) greygender, (2) maverique, (3) two-spirit, (4) demiboy, (5) demigirl, (6) neutrois, (7) aporagender, (8) polygender, (9) intergender, (10) trigender, (11) omnigender, (12) multigender, (13) pangender, (14) bigender, (15) agender, (16) androgyne, (17) demigender, (18) genderfluid, (19) genderqueer, (20) genderflux, or (21) non-binary, to be a protected characteristic; and whether it is considered to be a protected characteristic by the Office for Equality and Opportunity.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Equality Act 2010 provides protection against discrimination and harassment and related harassment due to any of the nine protected characteristics covered by the Act. It protects people from discrimination, in the workplace, when accessing services and in wider society.
The nine protected characteristics in the Act are:
The Government has no current plans to add to the list of protected characteristics.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to paragraphs 54 and 55 of the EU–UK Security and Defence Partnership, published on 19 May, and the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, what assessment they have made of whether the UK definition of a woman aligns with that of the European Commission and its agencies.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Supreme Court decision concerned the definition of a woman in the context of the UK Equality Act 2010.
In line with the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, the UK aims to ensure that the needs of women, girls, and marginalised people, including those who are LGBT+, are properly considered in conflict response. The EU-UK Security and Defence Partnership provides a framework for dialogue and cooperation with the EU, including on this issue.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what communications (1) the Department for Health and Social Care, and (2) NHS England, have had with the Professional Records Standards Body about the definitions of (1) gender identity, and (2) gender.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have had no communications with the Professional Records Standards Body about the definition of gender identity and gender.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance (1) departments; and (2) the Equality and Human Rights Commission; have issued to (a) public sector, organisations and (b) private-sector, organisations running internships schemes which are not open to certain groups based on their protected characteristics.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prevents employers from treating people more favourably because of a particular protected characteristic. The positive action provisions in the Act along with certain disability provisions allow some limited exceptions to this general principle of discrimination law, and employers need to understand how these exceptions work in order to use them effectively and avoid straying into unlawful positive discrimination.
In April 2023, the previous government published guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. The guidance is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether the Passport Office will require passports to list only an individual's biological sex.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided to PQ UIN 41234 on 31 March.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will require driving licences to list only an individual's biological sex.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Driving licences do not currently specify the sex or gender of the licence holder and there are no plans to change this.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the policy of the Government Property Agency on gender neutral toilets in government buildings outside of England where the statutory guidance Toilet Accommodation: Approved Document T, updated on 1 October 2024, does not apply.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) follows the building regulations and relevant legislation of the devolved nations it is operating in.
The GPA has adopted the principles laid out in Toilet Accommodation: Approved Document T into its Workplace Design guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) its agencies, and (3) NHS England, hold information about individual GPs who are prescribing hormone treatments and other drugs, such as spiralactone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, to transgender individuals who are (a) older than 18 years old, and (b) younger than 18 years old.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this information. NHS England does hold this information on an exceptional basis when concerns are made about the prescribing practices of individual general practices, including when the concerns have been made as part of a professional standards investigation.
For patients who are under 18 years old, the NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments to under 18s in March 2024, following the findings of the Cass Review into gender services. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues were subsequently restricted as part of an emergency banning order which took effect June 2024.
In August 2024, NHS England wrote to all general practitioners (GPs) in England responsible for prescribing GnRH analogues, to clarify application of this new legislation in clinical practice-based scenarios. In December 2024, the Department announced that the order banning the use of puberty blockers for individuals younger than 18 years old would be made indefinite. A further update to NHS England’s guidance was provided to GPs that same month.
In May 2025, NHS England issued guidance that advised GPs not to support unregulated providers in prescribing hormone treatments for gender incongruence to children and young people under 18 years old.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to GPs by (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) its agencies, and (3) NHS England, about the practice of prescribing hormone treatments and other drugs, such as spiralactone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, to transgender individuals who are (a) older than 18 years old, and (b) younger than 18 years old.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2018 NHS England issued guidance to general practitioners (GPs) about the role of primary care in responding to requests for a shared care approach to prescribing hormone treatments to adult patients when the request is from an online private provider.
For patients who are under 18 years old, the NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments in March 2024, following the findings of the Cass Review into gender services. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues were subsequently restricted as part of an emergency banning order which took effect June 2024.
In August 2024, NHS England wrote to all GPs in England responsible for prescribing GnRH analogues, to clarify application of this new legislation in clinical practice-based scenarios. In December 2024, the Department announced that the order banning the use of puberty blockers for individuals younger than 18 years old would be made indefinite. A further update to NHS England’s guidance was provided to GPs that same month.
In May 2025, NHS England issued guidance that advised GPs not to support unregulated providers in prescribing hormone treatments for gender incongruence to children and young people under 18 years old.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been a call for evidence or consultation to support the review of NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Review of Adult Gender Services is aiming to publish its report later in summer 2025. NHS England and the Government will need time to consider the findings, advice, and recommendations before issuing their response.
The Review has examined records, including patient case notes, and conducted site visits at each of the nine adult gender dysphoria clinics to develop a detailed understanding of the operation and delivery of services within each clinic. Further information about how evidence was gathered is detailed in the published key lines of enquiry, a copy of which is attached.
The Review conducted focus groups with patients of the services, and detailed surveys for patients of the service, their friends and family, and for clinicians delivering these services.