A service from mySociety A service from mySociety

TheyWorkForYou

Menu

Conversion Therapy and Gender Recognition

Women and Equalities written question – answered at on 2 August 2024.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Rebecca Paul Rebecca Paul Conservative, Reigate

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what responsibilities she has for (a) potential reform of gender recognition Laws and (b) banning of conversion practices.

Photo of Anneliese Dodds Anneliese Dodds Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) , Minister of State (Development)

Alongside Bridget Phillipson as Secretary of State with responsibility for Women and Equalities, my department has responsibility for the Government’s equality policy, including on LGBT+ issues.

Conversion practices are acts that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Such practices are abuse. They have no place in society and must be stopped. Through the development of the Conversion Practices Bill, this Government will deliver our manifesto commitment to bring forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on these harmful practices.

We will also modernise, simplify, and reform the intrusive and outdated gender recognition law to a new process. We will remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance; whilst retaining the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist doctor, enabling access to the healthcare pathway.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes5 people think so

No8 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.

  • (Citation: HC Deb, 2 August 2024, cW)

laws

Laws are the rules by which a country is governed. Britain has a long history of law making and the laws of this country can be divided into three types:- 1) Statute Laws are the laws that have been made by Parliament. 2) Case Law is law that has been established from cases tried in the courts - the laws arise from test cases. The result of the test case creates a precedent on which future cases are judged. 3) Common Law is a part of English Law, which has not come from Parliament. It consists of rules of law which have developed from customs or judgements made in courts over hundreds of years. For example until 1861 Parliament had never passed a law saying that murder was an offence. From the earliest times courts had judged that murder was a crime so there was no need to make a law.

Minister

Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.

Secretary of State

Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.