Women and Equalities written question – answered at on 2 February 2026.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations was submitted to the Cabinet Office on 8 April 2025; and if not, on what date that draft was submitted.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they responded to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations after consultation with the Scottish and Welsh Governments; whether they responded on 30 June 2025; and if not, on which date they responded.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government on which date they shared the updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, revised after the For Women Scotland Supreme Court judgement, with the (1) Scottish Government, and (2) Welsh Government, for consultation; and on what date they received replies from those governments.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government on what dates they received the past three Equality and Human Rights Commission draft statutory codes; and on what dates those codes were laid in Parliament.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are waiting for any further regulatory information from the Equality and Human Rights Commission regarding the draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations.
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Crossbench
To ask His Majesty's Government when they received the most recent piece of required information from the Equality and Human Rights Commission regarding the draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations.
Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Education), Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) , The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
The EHRC revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following its consultation after the UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the draft Code.
The Minister is following the process in the Equality Act 2006 and consulted the Devolved Governments at the relevant stages, as required under section 14(9). Consultation with Welsh and Scottish Ministers is required if, or in so far as, the Code relates to a duty imposed by or under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As part of the consultation, the draft Code has been shared with the Devolved Administrations.
We have always been clear that there is a due process that needs to be followed by all. Our priority is getting this right. We will continue to work with the EHRC to ensure Ministers are able to make a fully informed decision.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
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.
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.
