Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest date by which the consultation process would need to begin in order for section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 to be implemented before the next expected general election in 2029.

I refer the Noble Lady to the answer given to PQ HC122818 on 24th March 2026:

Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 117942, which stakeholders she plans to engage with on the commencement of Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010; and what her planned timeline is for that engagement process.

Answer: As stated in our answer of 16 March 2026, the Government is committed to commencing section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections in accordance with regulations.

Office for Equality and Opportunity officials are currently exploring when and how to commence the provision under section 106.

Careful consideration needs to be given to how it might be implemented, the necessary supporting regulations and whether any phasing might be needed in implementation.

Officials will consult with stakeholders, including political parties, in due course.