Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they use responses to questions about gender identity in some civil service job applications to determine the best-qualified candidate, and if such a question is not answered how detrimental this would be to the application.

The Civil Service recruits on the basis of merit and assesses on the basis of evidence supplied by the candidate. This is in line with fair and open competition rules as laid out in the recruitment principles upheld by the Civil Service Commission.

Gender identity is not used as part of the sifting process of job applications within the Civil Service. Candidates are asked this information for diversity monitoring purposes only.

The Civil Service aims to become the most inclusive employer in the UK, with the Talent Action Plan focussing on removing barriers for those from underrepresented groups.