Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Sullivan Review’s recommendation that data on biological sex should be collected as the default and distinct from gender identity, what formal guidance and harmonised data standards the UK Statistics Authority and Office for National Statistics will issue for all public bodies and Government departments; and by when these standards will be published and mandated.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the ONS will ensure that the design of questions in major surveys and censuses, including ONS surveys, departmental surveys and Census outputs, conform with the Sullivan Review recommendation that “sex should be the default target of any sex question,” and that sex and gender identity are not conflated in a single question.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics has a timetable to implement the Sullivan Review’s recommendation that biological sex is collected as a distinct data variable in all Government statistical outputs.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that administrative datasets, including health, justice, education and crime datasets, will collect data on biological sex.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department was invited by the Office for National Statistics to provide evidence or input into its review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A review of the harmonised standard for ethnicity data collection is underway by the Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team.

A public consultation between October 2025 and February 2026 sought views from a wide range of users, including Government Departments and public bodies, to understand user needs for ethnic group data. This was supplemented by a programme of engagement activity, including with representatives of all government departments.

ONS have committed to providing an initial response to the public consultation in April, and a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026 will include more detailed information on the departments that responded to the consultation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what evidence his Department submitted to the Office for National Statistics' review of the ethnicity harmonised standard, including in relation to the recording of Sikhs and Jewish people as ethnic groups.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

An initial response to the public consultation is due to be published in April, followed by a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026. This report will include all formal responses to the consultation, and the names of the organisations that responded.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Departments submitted evidence to the Office for National Statistics' review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 6th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of women who are employed by companies with more than 250 employees.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th March is attached.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using the Government Statistical Service categories in the Government's response to the consultation on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting on the risk of legal challenge relating to the inclusion of Sikhs and Jews as distinct ethnicity options.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Public bodies usually collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The current harmonised standard for ethnicity data does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is independent of government, is currently running a public consultation which seeks to review the harmonised standard to ensure it meets the needs of both data users and respondents. The views of Sikh and Jewish communities are being carefully considered as part of the review. We will monitor its progress and consider its findings closely.

We published the government response to the consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting on 25 March. The majority of respondents (77%) agreed with the proposal in the consultation that large employers should collect ethnicity data using the GSS harmonised standards for ethnicity.

The legislation being developed will provide flexibility if the list of ethnicity classifications of the harmonised standard is updated following the review.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether Gender Pay Gap Reporting will use biological sex.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We recognise that the terms “male”, “female”, “men” and “women” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a person’s biological sex, and that this has implications for the guidance provided on gender pay gap reporting.

As currently set out on the “Preparing your data” guidance page, we are reviewing the relevant section of this guidance to ensure it is accurate. Further updates on this will be provided shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made in establishing Regional Health Innovation Zones as part of the Life Sciences Sector Plan.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Work to establish Regional Health Innovation Zones is ongoing. Given the cross-cutting nature of the policy, spanning health, research, local government, and economic systems, significant engagement and careful policy design are essential before any Regional Health Innovation Zones can be formally established.

Officials have conducted substantial internal engagement across Government departments and with NHS England to build out the conceptual model and ensure it is aligned with wider strategic priorities. Substantial engagement with local government, National Health Service systems, and industry will happen in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has been given to the West Midlands and Birmingham as an early Regional Health Innovation Zone.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Regional Health Innovation Zones will be selected using a fair and open bidding process.

Initially, two to three regions with strong existing life sciences assets, including data assets, research infrastructure, Health Innovation Networks, industry footprints, and local government support, and a clear plan for how to use the designation will be selected as trailblazers.

Further information on the process and timelines for how regions can secure zone designation will be shared in due course, once finalised, to ensure a fair and transparent opportunity for all interested areas.