Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Sport England in relation to the UK Sports Councils’ Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport, published on 30 September 2021.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meets Sport England and UK Sport to discuss a range of issues relating to participation in sport, including participation by transgender people.

In ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’, HM Government set out our view that, when it comes to competitive sport and particularly women’s sport, competitive fairness and safety have to be the primary considerations. These considerations cannot be reconciled with self-identification in the female category in gender-affected sport alone.

The Sports Councils’ Equality Group’s transgender inclusion guidance was published after extensive consultation and a review of scientific research. It makes clear that inclusion, fairness, and safety cannot always be balanced in gender-affected sport. It therefore encourages national governing bodies to consider the specific factors at play in their sport, and to use scientific, peer-reviewed evidence to help make decisions in an open and transparent way. The Government will continue to engage with Sport England and national governing bodies to ensure that this guidance is being implemented.