Gender Recognition

(asked on 23rd September 2020) - View Source

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Berridge on 22 September (HLWS457), what steps they are taking to ensure that the policies of all (1) departments, (2) police forces, (3) schools, (4) NHS trusts, and (5) other public bodies, align with the outcome of the review of the Gender Recognition Act 2004; what plans they have to ensure that (a) such policies define sex and gender reassignment as protected characteristics, and (b) the exemptions under the Equality Act 2010 are used in the interests of those having such protected characteristics.


Answered by
Baroness Berridge Portrait
Baroness Berridge
This question was answered on 28th October 2020

The Government announced its response to the consultation on the Gender Recognition Act via Written Ministerial Statement, and published the analysis report on 22 September. The announcement was that there will be no changes to the GRA legislation, but that we will be making the process less bureaucratic by digitising the application process and reducing the fee. There is therefore no need to review policies of all departments, police forces, schools, NHS trusts or other public bodies as the law will not change.

The Government believes that the protection of single-sex spaces, as provided for in the Equality Act, is important. The Government reiterated in their recent response to the Gender Recognition Act consultation that the Equality Act provides crucial protections for sex and gender reassignment as protected characteristics.

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