Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings the Scotland Office had with the Scottish Government on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland Bill) prior to the Section 35 order being invoked.

The UK Government raised a number of concerns relating to the impact of the Scottish Government’s proposals with the Scottish Government, in advance of the legislation passing in the Scottish Parliament. UK government officials engaged with their Scottish counterparts through the Bill’s passage. The Minister for Women and Equalities wrote to and met with the Cabinet Secretary while the Bill was still in the Scottish Parliament, outlining her concerns with the GRR Bill as it stood. It is now for the Scottish Government to bring forward a bill that addresses the adverse effects as set out in the Statement of Reasons. The Scotland Act 1998 specifically provides for a reconsideration stage in the Scottish Parliament for these circumstances.