10 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
AskedIf she will take steps to ensure that forced marriages do not take place in Sharia councils in the UK.
ReplyThe joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), provides support and advice to victims, those at risk, and professionals.
10 Mar 2026·Department for Science, Innovation and Technology·Answered
AskedInnovation and Technology, whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow.For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers.
10 Mar 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedWhether he has had recent discussions with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding trials of puberty blockers.
ReplyMy Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has met with a variety of stakeholders to discuss gender services, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.Given that there are live legal proceedings, we are unable to comment on the details of the PATHWAYS trial of puberty suppressing hormones.
10 Mar 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedHow many people under the age of 18 who requested masculinising and feminising hormones were refused in each of the last five years.
ReplyNHS England is not responsible for making prescribing decisions, as this is for determination by a patient's clinician, in consultation with the patient and family as appropriate.No specific data is held on the number of different hormone drugs that may have been prescribed through the National Health Service. There are several different medications that can be prescribed for masculinising and feminising effects, some of them are branded medications and some are generic medications.Regarding masculinising and feminising hormone request refusal, this information is not held centrally. This kind of information will only be found in the medical records of individual patients, reflecting the outcome of a clinical decision made by the individual patient's clinician.
10 Mar 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedHow many masculinising and feminising hormones NHS England have prescribed to people aged (a) 16 and (b) 17 in each of the last five years.
ReplyNHS England is not responsible for making prescribing decisions, as this is for determination by a patient's clinician, in consultation with the patient and family as appropriate.No specific data is held on the number of different hormone drugs that may have been prescribed through the National Health Service. There are several different medications that can be prescribed for masculinising and feminising effects, some of them are branded medications and some are generic medications.Regarding masculinising and feminising hormone request refusal, this information is not held centrally. This kind of information will only be found in the medical records of individual patients, reflecting the outcome of a clinical decision made by the individual patient's clinician.
10 Mar 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedIf he will make it his policy to block NHS-backed trials of puberty blockers in gender questioning children.
ReplyThe Government is committed to supporting research that delivers a more robust, evidence-based understanding of gender incongruence support and treatment, especially for children and young people.The Cass Review received cross-party support and highlighted remaining significant gaps in clinical evidence. The PATHWAYS study positively responds to the Cass Review’s recommendation that a trial of puberty suppressing hormones should be taken forward urgently as part of a wider programme of research.Like any clinical trial, the PATHWAYS trial will only proceed subject to research approvals that follow expert ethical, scientific, and clinical advice.The safety and wellbeing of children and young people have always been the driving consideration in every decision we have made regarding this trial and always will be.
4 Mar 2026·Northern Ireland Office·Answered
AskedHow many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyThe information requested regarding how many staff within the Department are reliant on a visa for employment is not held centrally. Right to work checks are carried out for all new employees as part of the recruitmenton process.
4 Mar 2026·Department for Culture, Media and Sport·Answered
AskedMedia and Sport, whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow.For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, which DCMS does, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers.The positive action measures in the Equality Act 2010 allows employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation. More information on this can be found on gov.uk.Employers who choose to use positive action can help people who share a particular protected characteristic to overcome certain barriers under the measures. However, employers need to ensure they do this in a way which does not unfairly disadvantage other groups as this could amount to ‘positive discrimination’, which is unlawful.
4 Mar 2026·Wales Office·Answered
AskedHow many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyNo staff in my Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
4 Mar 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow. For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers. The positive action measures in the Equality Act 2010 allows employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation. More information on this can be found on gov.uk. Employers who choose to use positive action can help people who share a particular protected characteristic to overcome certain barriers under the measures. However, employers need to ensure they do this in a way which does not unfairly disadvantage other groups as this could amount to ‘positive discrimination’, which is unlawful.
4 Mar 2026·Scotland Office·Answered
AskedHow many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyThe Scotland Office has the information that you have requested. However, if a request is made for information and the total figure amounts to five people or fewer, the Scotland Office must consider whether this could lead to the identification of individuals and whether disclosure of this information would be in breach of our statutory obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation and/or the Data Protection Act 2018.We believe that the release of this information would risk identification of the individual/s concerned. For this reason, the Scotland Office has chosen not to provide the information requested. However, it should not be assumed that the actual figure represented falls at any particular point within this scale; 'five or fewer' is used as a replacement value from which it would be difficult to isolate or extract any individual data.
4 Mar 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedWhether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Cabinet Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.
4 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
AskedWhether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.The Home Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.
4 Mar 2026·Department for Education·Answered
AskedHow many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyThe department currently sponsors 28 individuals on a Skilled Worker visa through a Certificate of Sponsorship.
4 Mar 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedHow many people have his Department taken on internship schemes open only to those with certain protected characteristics in each of the last three years.
ReplyIn each of the last 3 years Cabinet Office has placed less than 5 people on internship schemes open only to those with certain protected characteristics. The exact number has been redacted to avoid identification of individuals.
4 Mar 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedHow many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
Reply39 civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in the Cabinet Office. Before they can be considered for visa sponsorship, all candidates for Cabinet Office posts must meet the Civil Service nationality rules which operate alongside UK immigration rules.
3 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
AskedHow many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyAs at 5 March 2026, 163 individuals are recorded as being employed on a visa by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) or its Arm’s Length Bodies. MOD Civil Service jobs generally require candidates to be either UK nationals, Commonwealth citizens, or EEA nationals. Foreign nationals with valid visas, such as Skilled Worker Visas, are eligible to apply but must be able to provide evidence of their right to work.
3 Mar 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyThe requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.
3 Mar 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
ReplyCivil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Cabinet Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.
3 Mar 2026·Treasury·Answered
AskedHow many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
ReplyWe do not disclose the exact number of staff with visas for data privacy reasons, but can confirm that fewer than five staff members at HM Treasury are reliant on a visa for their right to work in the UK.