Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Smith Excerpts

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

9. Whether the Commission is taking steps to comply with the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v. the Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)]

The House of Commons Commission is always concerned to comply with the law. The policies and guidance of the House have been reviewed and it does not appear that any immediate changes are required as a result of the judgment. However, we are keeping this under consideration. We will be looking at the updated Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance following its publication in draft just two days ago.

[John Lamont]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for his response, but the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has said that we “can and must” uphold the

“rights, the freedoms, the spaces for women as sex-based rights”.

I am therefore extremely concerned to hear reports that the House of Commons is not following the EHRC interim guidance that biological men should not be allowed to use women’s facilities. Does the hon. Member agree that the protection of female Members and women who work here is vital, and that the law, as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling, must be followed immediately?

[Nick Smith]

I thank the hon. Member for his question and can assure him that officials have reviewed the guidance and the policies of the House and consider that the Commission is complying with the law. But we will review the positions once the final EHRC guidance is produced.

Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Smith Excerpts

Wednesday 16th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bryant]

I do not see it as a divide between rural and urban, because there are urban issues as well as rural issues. The hon. Lady is absolutely right that the previous Government failed to deliver in her constituency, and we intend to put that right. She should not believe everything she reads in the newspapers. I know that she was trying to have a meeting with Building Digital UK, and I am happy to make sure that we can both sit down with officials to try to sort out these problems in her constituency—and I am happy to do the same for any other Members.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney) (Lab)]

The Minister knows that improved connectivity is important to the economy of our south Wales valleys. However, it has been hard for me to get definitive information on the roll-out of Project Gigabit to Trefil, just north of Tredegar, in my constituency. Will he please look into this so that my constituents in Trefil, and across the rest of Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, know when their broadband service will improve?

[Chris Bryant]

I am happy to arrange the same kind of meeting with my hon. Friend as I offered to the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth). He is right that there are very significant problems in south Wales valleys communities, and we need to put those right. It is a shame that we have not had a digital inclusion strategy for 10 whole years, which is a disgrace. That is one of the things we need to put right.