“For Women Scotland” Supreme Court Ruling

Debate between Baroness Smith of Malvern and Baroness Hoey

Thursday 24th April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

It was the Supreme Court that was clear that single-sex spaces, including toilets, should be offered on the basis of biological sex, and Ministers were reflecting that ruling. This is a difficult issue, and I am sure that it will be considered by the EHRC during the production of its code of practice. Increasingly, in very many public places we see unisex toilets, which are available to everybody.

[Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, can the Minister give an absolute commitment that the Supreme Court judgment will apply to Northern Ireland in full, like the rest of the United Kingdom, despite Northern Ireland being left under EU equality laws?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I will come back to the noble Baroness about that. There are elements of this ruling and the scope of the Equality Act that we need to look at carefully, but I will come back to her.

Primary Schools: Swimming Lessons

Debate between Baroness Smith of Malvern and Baroness Hoey

Tuesday 21st January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hoey]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of children in primary schools who do not have regular swimming lessons in school time.

[The Minister of State, Department for Education (Baroness Smith of Malvern) (Lab)]

My Lords, swimming and water safety is a compulsory element of the primary PE national curriculum. We do not collect data from every primary school about how many lessons pupils get, but sample data from Sport England shows that in 2023-24, 95.2% of state primary schools surveyed reported providing swimming lessons. The department also supports schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources, and the PE and sport premium for top-up lessons.

[Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. I understand and know her personal support for school sport and swimming; in fact, we worked together many years ago on this issue. I know provision in some schools are very good, but does she agree that, because children have to be able to swim 25 metres, there is a tendency, once they tick that box, for swimming to finish for many of our youngsters, and they do not have the family support to get it outside school? Will she look again at some of the statistics that come from some of the organisations? It is sometimes in their interests to say that things are going very well. We need to look at this, so that youngsters get that life chance to swim not just safely but for fun, enjoyment and competition.