Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kemi Badenoch and Gregory Campbell

Wednesday 15th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Kemi Badenoch]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. There are various reasons why women and men should be able to access single-sex spaces, and public toilets are no exception. We are updating building regulations so that toilets in non-domestic buildings offer safety, privacy and dignity for all people who use them. There is often confusion between gender-neutral toilets and unisex toilets. We support unisex toilets, but through these new building regulations we are trying to get rid of toilets and bathrooms where men and women share the same space.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

T3. During the Northern Ireland Assembly campaign, some female candidates were subjected to AI-generated deepfakes and grossly offensive content. What action are the Government taking to regulate the dissemination of such imagery where it could affect the otherwise freely expressed choice of voters at the ballot box, especially as we approach a general election in the coming months?

[Kemi Badenoch]

The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced new offences that criminalise sharing or threatening to share an intimate image without consent, which includes deepfake intimate images. The Government are working to ensure that we are ready to respond to the full range of threats to our democratic processes, including through the defending democracy taskforce. If deepfakes are discovered by users on social media, they should report them directly to the platform. In the case of elections, they should be reported directly to the Electoral Commission, because it is already an electoral offence to make false statements of fact about the character or conduct of a candidate during an election.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kemi Badenoch and Gregory Campbell

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Kemi Badenoch]

I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting the issue. She will be pleased to know that just last week, following calls from the UK, Lord Ahmad, the Minister in the other place, attended the UN Security Council to express deep concerns about the findings of the UN special representatives of the Secretary-General on their recent visit to the region. The UK is leading work internationally through our preventing sexual violence initiative, and through dedicated funding, totalling £60 million, to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to strengthen justice and support for all survivors.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

4. If she will make an estimate of when the gender pay gap will be closed.