Written questions by Coutinho.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by his Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) his Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by his Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by his Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

The Department for Work and Pensions is aware of the Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers (2025) and its implications for the interpretation of the protected characteristic of sex in the Equality Act 2010. We are currently awaiting updated cross-government guidance, including from the Government Equalities Office and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, to support consistent implementation of the judgment across departments and public bodies. As is standard practice following a significant legal ruling of this kind, the Department is reviewing its existing policies and guidance to ensure full alignment once this updated central advice is issued.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by his Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

The Department regularly reviews its policies and guidance to ensure they remain legally compliant and consistent with evolving case law. This includes reviewing its Gender Identity and Intersex policy package following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025]. The Department also engages with its arms-length bodies to ensure their internal policies align with statutory obligations and relevant judicial rulings.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by her Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

All duty bearers, including departments and arm’s-length bodies, are expected to follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has underlined this recently.The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers. This is being carefully reviewed by the Cabinet Office and will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the inaccessibility of land owned by travellers when local authorities carry out statutory counting of caravans on traveller sites; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of inaccessible land on the reliability of the figures published in his Department’s Traveller Count statistics.

My Department recognises that access to traveller sites may not always be possible. This fact is reflected in the guidance provided to local planning authorities when carrying out the Traveller Caravan Count, which advises that such sites should still be included in the submitted figures, and an estimated count included in the total(s). Local planning authorities are required to indicate in the submitted data whether they were able to access sites in order to carry out the count.

Whether he has made an estimate of the number of NHS Trusts with policies on staff toilets and changing facilities that are incompatible with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish data on the number of traveller caravans on unauthorised developments on land (a) owned by travellers and (b) not owned by travellers by local authority in each year between 2015 and 2025.

Data on the number of traveller caravans on unauthorised sites on land (a) owned by travellers, i.e. unauthorised developments, and (b) on land not owned by travellers, i.e. unauthorised encampments, by each local planning authority is available from Live Table 1 of the published Official Statistics on gov.uk here. The Table in question presents data for the last six counts. However, data going back to 2015 can be found in the same table of previous releases.

If she will publish a list of the organisations the Race Equality Engagement Group has (a) met with and (b) engaged with since it was appointed.

On 25 September 2025 the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) held its first thematic roundtable covering tackling the barriers to accessing finance and investment for ethnic minority entrepreneurs, and the Police Race Action Plan. On 9 December 2025 the REEG held its second thematic roundtable and community engagement session, focusing on racial inequalities in maternal and neonatal health and cardiovascular disease. The Group has met with a broad range of stakeholders with lived experience, and from key government departments, civil society, community groups and institutions. In line with the REEG’s Terms of Reference, these meetings are supporting efforts to strengthen the government’s links with ethnic minority communities and enable constructive dialogue on the government’s plans to tackle race inequalities.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled New auction delivers unprecedented clean, homegrown power, published on 10 February 2026, if he will publish the internal analysis showing that the renewable generation capacity awarded in Allocation Round 7 will reduce household bills.

The press notice 'Notes to editors' section provides a published summary of the analysis. We are not planning any further publications on AR7.

Communities and Local Government, whether his department holds data on the number of incidences of traveller caravans on unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers being used to provide accommodation for undocumented migrants.

My Department does not hold this data. The Traveller Caravan Count includes data on the number of caravans and traveller sites in England. It does not include the number of occupants residing in these caravans or caravan sites, nor their characteristics.

When she plans to publish the Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

As set out in our manifesto and in the King’s Speech in July 2024, the government is committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers and making the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. Good progress has been made in developing the policy and legislative approach to ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting following the public consultation last year. In 2025, we published a call for evidence on equality law which included consideration of how we make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. It closed at the end of June, and we are now working to analyse the responses. We will publish the government response to the ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting consultation, as well as sharing an update on the Bill soon.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish data on the number of local authorities that do not operate out-of-hours planning enforcement teams.

My Department does not collect data on the operating hours of planning enforcement teams.

If he will (a) withdraw and (b) instruct any government departments or arms length bodies to alter any policies based on the Cabinet Office's Gender Identity and Intersex Model Policy Package.

The Cabinet Office continues to engage fully with departments on the review of the model Gender Identity and Intersex Policy Package. Once the review is completed, we will share the revised policy and guidance with departments.

Whether any cost benefit analysis conducted by his Department on linking the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme assessed the potential impact of higher UK Allowance prices on UK industry and consumers as a result of price convergence.

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market.As the conveners of the market the Government is not able to comment on current prices and price movements. Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include for example providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; and the removal of some of the regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms.

Whether the Government's position that aligning the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will prevent an £800 million impact from the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, refers to savings in a single year or to a cumulative impact over multiple years.

Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; the removal of regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage; supporting UK renewable rollout; and lowering electricity costs in the long run. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms. The £800m estimate is from a Frontier Economics report and refers to cumulative savings between 2026 and 2030.

Whether his Department conducted a cost-benefit analysis to support the decision to link the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Government analysis indicates linking could stimulate economic growth, adding billions annually to our economy each year in the long run. Linking the UK and EU ETSs is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include for example providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; and the removal of some of the regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms.

What the source is for the Government's claim that aligning the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will save British businesses £800 million.

Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; the removal of regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage; supporting UK renewable rollout; and lowering electricity costs in the long run. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms. The £800m estimate is from a Frontier Economics report and refers to cumulative savings between 2026 and 2030.

What assessment his Department has made of the additional cost to businesses and consumers since the beginning of 2025 arising from increase UK ETS Allowance prices following the announcement of the Government’s intention to link the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market.As the conveners of the market the Government is not able to comment on current prices and price movements. Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include for example providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; and the removal of some of the regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms.

Whether the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will be funded through a) the Exchequer, b) energy suppliers or c) another source.

As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, the Government intends to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the scheme is delivered in line with our wider priorities to deliver affordable power for businesses and households. For example, the proposals in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's recent consultations on changes to inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation and Feed-In Tariffs schemes, if implemented, could contribute to that goal.