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1130013

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Transgender People: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether people under the age of 18 can transition gender through routes other than under the Gender Recognition Act 2004.
	tabling member constituency	Monmouth
	tabling member printed	David T. C. Davies
	uin	260601
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The only method of legally changing gender is through the process set out in the Gender Recognition Act 2004. This involves applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate, which can then be used to obtain a new birth certificate. This process is only open to those aged 18 and over.</p><p> </p><p>Medical transition is governed by the NHS, and surgery is not available to those under the age of 18. Cross-sex hormones can only be prescribed under strict clinical supervison from the age of 16.</p><p> </p><p>Social transition, such as changing the name you are known by, and the pronouns you use, can be done by anyone at any age, and is often subject to a discussion between a child and their parents if it happens before age 18.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 11:37:40 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	1545 label Biography information for David T C Davies

1131375

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Equal Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Equality and Human Rights Commission assesses the accuracy of the gender pay gap figures filed by employers for the 2018-19 reporting year.
	tabling member constituency	Brent Central
	tabling member printed	Dawn Butler
	uin	263102
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>It is an employer’s legal responsibility to ensure that they report on time and that their figures are accurate. The vast majority of the over 10,000 organisations that reported this year have reported their data on time.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) undertook an investigation into 100 employers suspected of publishing inaccurate gender pay gap figures for the 2017/18 reporting year. The EHRC now intends to carry out the same action on employers’ suspected of publishing inaccurate data for the 2018/19 reporting year and will take enforcement action where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 11:29:28 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	1489 label Biography information for Dawn Butler

1133300

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Civil Partnerships: Heterosexuality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to use the powers in section 2(1) of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to enable two persons who are not of the same sex to form a civil partnership in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	266884
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government intends to change the law by regulations to extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples, as required by the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019, by 31 December 2019.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 11:31:22 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1133563

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers are offering disability leave to disabled employees as part of reasonable adjustments.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	267246
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting people with disabilities in the workplace and The Equality Act 2010 places obligations on employers with disabled employees, including the requirement to make reasonable adjustments, which may include granting leave related to the employee's disability.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and those of employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will be different for each employer because of factors such as the practicality and the cost of making the adjustment. A court or tribunal may ultimately make a final decision on whether a particular person meets the definition of disability in the Act and whether an adjustment request is reasonable.</p><p> </p><p>Practical advice on reasonable adjustments is available from a number of sources, including Acas and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The EHRC’s examples of reasonable adjustments for employers include disability leave.</p><p> </p><p>If a disabled person feels that they have not been treated fairly by an employer, the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) offers information and advice about discrimination, including disability discrimination. EASS can be contacted by telephone, via an online contact form or by post.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 13:31:57 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1135478

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendment) (Sibling Couples) Bill (HL)
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Government supporting the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendment) (Sibling Couples) Bill [HL] 2017-19.
	tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
	tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
	uin	270808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is very clear that there is a significant difference between an intimate partner relationship (for which civil partnerships are intended) and a relationship between siblings or other family members.</p><p>We have no intention of extending civil partnerships to siblings, and are not supporting the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendment) (Sibling Couples) [HL] 2017-19 Private Members Bill.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 14:49:43 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1136242

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Assistance Animals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to amend the definition for assistance dog to ensure that it applies to the Equality Act 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Rotherham
	tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
	uin	272199
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Section 173(1) of the Equality Act (the Act) already sets out a definition of an assistance dog in relation to those sections of the Act – applicable to taxis and private hire vehicles - which refer to assistance dogs, as follows:</p><p>a dog which has been trained to guide a blind person;</p><p>a dog which has been trained to assist a deaf person;</p><p>a dog which has been trained by a prescribed charity to assist a disabled person who has a disability that consists of epilepsy or otherwise affects the person's mobility, manual dexterity, physical co-ordination or ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects;</p><p>a dog of a prescribed category which has been trained to assist a disabled person who has a disability (other than one falling within paragraph (c)) of a prescribed kind;</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 14:56:24 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1136517

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Assistance Animals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of the recommendations in the report by the charity Guide Dogs entitled, Access denied: a report into the frequency and impact of access refusals on assistance dog owners in 2019, on the establishment of an equality ombudsman.
	tabling member constituency	Rotherham
	tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
	uin	272844
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty therefore those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require, including auxiliary aids.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the public body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act. In 2017, the EHRC published two pieces of guidance - a guide to help businesses understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners, and a guide to help tourism businesses welcome people with access requirements. The EHRC also supports disabled individuals who have experienced discrimination to take their cases to court. The EHRC has delivered a Legal Support Project to increase access to justice for people experiencing disability discrimination. In 2017/18 it offered disabled groups £189,000 for legal assistance across 94 cases in areas including employment, education and public services. The EHRC is also increasing its legal capacity to advise on discrimination cases.&quot;</p><p> </p><p>In the Government’s view, an equalities ombudsman as recommended by the Guide Dogs report would not usefully add to the EHRC’s functions.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 14:57:02 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1138968

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Government Equalities Office: Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to respond to Question 267246 on Employment: Disability, tabled by the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington on 20 June 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	277263
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>I have today responded to the hon. Member's Question 267246.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 14:57:40 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1140432

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Wales Office
	answering dept id	28
	answering dept short name	Wales
	answering dept sort name	Wales
	hansard heading	Wales Office: Ethnic Groups
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many BAME staff are employed at (a) grade 7, (b) grade 5 and (c) grade 3 in his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	279154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The number of staff working in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and declaring themselves as BAME as at 30 June 2019 are shown below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Grade</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of staff reporting ethnicity </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>BAME</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>(a) grade 7/6</strong></p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>(b) grade 5</strong></p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>(c) grade 3</strong></p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total other staff grades</strong></p></td><td><p>22</p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 23/07/2019 11:58:22 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1139206

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to undertake a review of business rates and their effect on the sustainability of the retail sector.
	tabling member constituency	Blaydon
	tabling member printed	Liz Twist
	uin	277816
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government concluded the last fundamental review of business rates in 2016. Respondents to the review agreed that property based taxes are easy to collect, difficult to avoid, relatively stable compared to other taxes, and that they have a clear link with local authority spending.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken repeated action to reduce the burden of business rates for all ratepayers including retailers. Our Plan for the High Street announced at Budget 2018 provides £1 billion of upfront support through a new retail discount, cutting retailers’ business rates bills by a third for two years from 1 April 2019 subject to eligibility.</p><p> </p><p>Reforms and reliefs announced since Budget 2016 are reducing business rates by more than £13 billion over the next five years. This includes switching from RPI to CPI indexation, increasing the threshold for the standard multiplier to £51,000, and doubling the threshold for Small Business Rate Relief, meaning 675,000 of the smallest businesses pay no business rates at all.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 277817 question first answered 23/07/2019 12:46:27 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4618 label Biography information for Liz Twist