Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the (a) reliability, (b) accuracy and (c) consistency of personal identity data on sex held by (i) HM Passport Office, (ii) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and (iii) the NHS in the context of the digital verification services framework.

The digital verification services (DVS) framework seeks to create rules for how those services operate. The DVS framework doesn’t create new ways to determine a person’s sex or gender. Nor does it intervene with how government departments record and store this and other identity data. Under data protection law, personal data which is processed must be accurate.

Government believes processing accurate data is essential to deliver services meeting citizens’ needs. Public sector data about sex and gender is collected based on user and departmental needs and in compliance with any applicable legislation.

The Government Statistical Service published a work plan for updated, harmonised standards and guidance on sex and gender in December 2024. This will align with the Office for Statistics Regulation guidance on collecting and reporting data about sex and gender identity, which was published in February 2024.