Lord Jackson of Peterborough

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to the Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP on 30 January 2025 by Minister Gould which states that:

‘Government departments are responsible for decisions about whether to buy services from third sector organisations to support equality, diversity and inclusion in their organisations. Currently no government department is a member of Stonewall’.

Ministers’ meetings are a matter of public record, and are published periodically on gov.uk.

As previously indicated in answer to HL3815 and HL3671, the Government has and will continue to meet with stakeholders as we develop this important work. This engagement encompasses a wide range of stakeholders, both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation. Such meetings will be disclosed in due course as part of relevant Departmental transparency releases on gov.uk and more generally when we are ready to share our approach to this legislation.

As previously indicated, the Government has and will continue to meet with stakeholders both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation. Such meetings will be disclosed in due course as part of relevant Departmental transparency releases on gov.uk and more generally when we are ready to share our approach to this legislation.

Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation.

The research undertaken by Coventry University was commissioned by a previous administration and published in October 2021. This Government’s work to develop draft legislation is informed by the available evidence base on conversion practices, which includes but is not limited to the Coventry University study.

Finally, I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.

The data from the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Expenditure Review will be published in due course.

The Government engages with the European Commission and Member States on a range of issues relating to the rights of British nationals in the EU, including the issuing of documentation to UK citizens residing in the EU. We have consistently raised, both bilaterally with individual Member States and with the European Commission, the need to improve the speed at which documentation is issued in certain Member States. We also raise this issue through the structures created under the Withdrawal Agreement, such as the Specialised Committee on Citizens' Rights. We will raise this issue again at the upcoming Specialised Committee on Citizens' Rights on 14 November.

There are currently no infringement cases against the UK before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

In 2020, the European Commission launched infringement case INFR (2020)2202 against the UK. The case concerns the implementation of aspects of the Free Movement Directive into UK law while the UK was an EU Member State and during the transition period.

The proceedings are ongoing, and on 25 October, the UK Government responded to a Reasoned Opinion which had been issued by the European Commission on 25 July.

There are no immediate plans to report to Parliament on these proceedings but this will be kept under review.

The Government has no such list. The Government uses terms which are designed to be inclusive, easy to understand and accessible to everyone.

Allocation of working time spent on cross-government staff networks is an agreement between the staff network volunteers and their departments as employers.

The majority of staff time spent on the Civil Service LGBT+ Network is voluntary and unpaid.

The Government has decided to pause the commencement of section 6 of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (REUL Act) to allow time to consider this within the wider context of our work to grow the economy and reset relations with the EU and Devolved Governments. Pausing the commencement of Section 6 gives businesses greater stability, and the Government remains free to reform inherited EU law in the best interests of our businesses and economy. While we do not currently intend to commence section 6, it remains open to us to do so at a later date.

The Government aims to strengthen arrangements on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the European Union. The regulatory environment for skills and professionals was on the agenda at the UK EU Trade Specialised Committee on Services, Investment and Digital Trade on 24 October 2024. The UK’s approach to the recognition of professional qualifications was discussed under that agenda item. The Government is engaging with businesses to understand views on recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and EU and looks forward to discussions with the EU in due course.

This Government recognises the importance of skills as a crucial factor in maximising the potential of our semiconductor sector, driving growth, and creating high-quality jobs throughout the UK. My officials are collaborating with stakeholders across industry and academia to understand the challenges faced by the semiconductor sector in order to take the necessary steps needed to expand the talent pool for the long term. The newly announced Skills England will play a vital role in bringing together government, industry and training providers to address the skills needs of the coming decade.

Given the global nature of semiconductor supply chains, international collaboration is crucial for both the UK’s resilience and economic growth. The government is working closely with international partners on supply chain resilience and developing its semiconductor skills base, including by implementing partnerships covering these issues with Japan, the Republic of Korea and India. It will support UK semiconductor organisations to participate in the EU Chips Joint Undertaking and drive international collaboration on semiconductors within the OECD’s ‘Informal Network on Semiconductors’ and the G7 ‘Point of Contact’ group, to further collective understanding of supply chains and coordinate resilience efforts.

The government’s number one mission is economic growth. At the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology we are accelerating innovation to unlock more growth across the UK, as well as supporting the government’s other missions such as the clean energy transition. The UK’s science and technology sectors, including semiconductors, are already driving that economic growth and unlocking the innovations that will help us reach net zero.

We are committed to securing areas of world leading advantage in the semiconductor technologies of the future by focusing on our strengths in research and development (R&D), design and IP, and compound semiconductors. This will facilitate technological innovation, boost growth and job creation, bolster our international position to improve supply chain resilience, and protect our national security.

We will work closely with industry and academia to ensure our work is delivering real-world benefits for UK citizens.

The department respects the work of yeshivas and other institutions in providing education to the Jewish community.

Parents are legally allowed to educate their children at home, providing this education is suitable. However, the department is aware of rising numbers of children not on a school roll due to them either being home educated, attending full-time non-school alternative provision or missing education completely, and we are concerned that some of these children may not be receiving a suitable education or known to the local authority at all.

As part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the government will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England. These measures will help authorities to identify children that need support and to take prompt, appropriate action when needed.

The government’s proposal to require registration with the local authority will not interfere with parents’ right to educate their child in a way and with methods as they think best and appropriate, provided that the education being received by the child is suitable.

The department is currently reviewing the draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children, in addition to reviewing the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance and, as such, the government is looking carefully at the consultation responses, discussing with stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, including the Cass Review, before setting out next steps.

The department is currently reviewing the draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children, in addition to reviewing the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance and, as such, the government is looking carefully at the consultation responses, discussing with stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, including the Cass Review, before setting out next steps.

The European Union (EU) has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation agreement (TCA). The dispute proceedings are confidential therefore there is little more I can say at this time.

This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government has formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, which met for the first time on 16th October.

The Taskforce is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and by the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The Taskforce is supported by a separate Stakeholder Panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

Currently 7 National Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Networks are given pro rata time allocation to support respective network activity.

Time allocation

The National EDI Network Co-Chairs have a 25%-weekly time allocation and the Strand Lead/Board Member/Committee roles have a weekly 10%-time allocation. Each Network can recruit up to 10 Committee members (please note that not all Networks have up to 10 Committee members).

7 National EDI Networks with allocated time equates to:

1 x 25 % time allocation 37- hour week contract equates to 9.25 hours for each co-chair or 18.5 hours for both per week or 962 hours year for each of them

1x10% time allocation 37 – hour week contract equates to 3.7 per committee member, or for each committee member 10 x 10 % equates to 37 hours a week or 1,924 hours annually for all members of a Committee.

Across all 7 Networks:

• 70* people support network activity at 10% with 90% of their time focused on their contracted job role.
• 14 people spend 25% of their time on network activity, with 75% of their time focused on their contracted job role.

*note that not all Committee roles are filled.

Cross Civil Service Networks

Alongside DWP EDI Networks there a number of cross Civil Service Networks. DWP colleagues who take up the role of Co-Chair for a recognised cross government EDI Network can receive 5% time allocation to carry out their duties. Colleagues are welcome to be a member of any Staff Network but are only able to receive time allocation for one role on an EDI Network at any time.

The 2 chairs of the Civil Service LBGT+ Network both sit in DWP. They have 37-hour week contracts and 5% of this equates to 1.85 hours each a week – or 96.2 hours a year for each them.

Neither the Department nor NHS England has a specific policy on recognising species dysphoria.

The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights Skills training has been withdrawn by NHS England. There are currently no plans to have a copy of the training materials in the Library of the House.

The National Health Service website aims to provide health advice and guidance that is clear and easy to understand, and that helps everyone who uses the website find the information they need, so they can make informed decisions about their own health.

This Government believes in an approach to equality that benefits all groups, not some groups at the expense of others. As part of this, we understand the need for health information to be as clear as possible and to use language that is grounded in biological sex. Using the right language is crucial to ensure patients, including women, receive the dignity and inclusion they should expect when accessing services. However, we recognise that for some people, their gender identity is different from their biological sex.

Now that Parliament has voted to give the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill a Second Reading, the Government will assess the impacts of the bill, and we expect to publish an impact assessment before Members of Parliament consider the bill at the Report stage.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) was planning to publish information about their expectations of the frequency of future assessments in July 2024. Due to the timing of the review into the operational effectiveness of the CQC led by Dr Penny Dash, the CQC did not share this information as planned.

The interim findings of Dr Dash’s review, as well as the full and final report published on 15 October 2024, made clear recommendations on how the CQC needs to change its regulatory approach. The CQC has committed to making those changes.

The CQC will publish an update on how frequently it will be carrying out its future assessments in due course, in consultation with stakeholders and others, as outlined by Section 46 (7) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office collaborates closely with a variety of civil society organisations to advance His Majesty's Government's commitment to defending the human rights and freedoms of LGBT+ people globally.

Following an open call for proposals in June 2023, Stonewall was awarded £649,979 to deliver programme activities in 2024 and 2025. This funding was used to support the most vulnerable LGBT+ people who were victims or at risk of violence or even death due to their sexual orientation and gender identity.

A breakdown of funding for each individual programme is provided in the table below.

The UK Government is committed to defending religious freedom for all in Myanmar. We continue to raise our concerns about discrimination of religious minorities in multilateral fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April, which underscored the importance of addressing the root cause of violations against religious minorities, including Christians. Additionally, we provide funding to the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and have established the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups within Myanmar.

The UK Government is supporting the Bangladesh Interim Government's work to create a pathway to an inclusive democratic future. We would not comment on any individual Asset Recovery cases, but we are supporting reform and capacity building including providing expertise to the central bank to stabilise the banking system and implement banking governance reforms. We are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh. The NCA visited Dhaka in October and November 2024 as part of the UK's effort to support Bangladesh in this area as well as wider engagement on law enforcement issues. The UK and international partners continue to push for progress towards accountability and justice, and due process in Bangladesh, including through an impartial and independent fact-finding mission by the United Nations.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is proscribed in the UK, having been added as an alias of Al-Qaeda in 2017. We will judge HTS by their actions and continue to monitor closely how they and other parties to this conflict treat all civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, in areas they control. The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting religious minorities publicly and in our engagement with the interim Syrian authorities, regional and international partners. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.

The Government will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Envoy roles will be decided upon in due course. We cannot comment on timelines for individual appointments. In the meantime, we continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.