Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to respond to the report entitled Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender - Report 2: Barriers to research on sex and gender, published on 2 July 2025.

On 19 March 2025 the Government published a report by Professor Alice Sullivan, following an independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender. This report was commissioned by the previous administration.

Professor Sullivan has subsequently self-published further research in this area relating to “barriers to research on sex and gender”.

The Office for Students (OfS) published regulatory advice on 19 June 2025, providing guidance to the higher education (HE) sector on how they should fulfil their free speech duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (the Act) and examples of how providers should fulfil their duties.

On 26 June 2025, the Minister for Women and Equalities published a policy paper on the future of the Act, setting out further details following the announcement on 15 January 2025. This paper sets in detail the duties and powers the OfS will be granted, when a legislative vehicle is secured, in order to regulate HE providers in relation to fulfilment of their free speech duties, and to put in place a complaints scheme to decide on free speech complaints from staff, external speakers and members of registered HE providers.