Speeches by McKenna.

“Obviously, the code is guidance, but people are probably still going to have to go to actual lawyers to hash this out. Has the guidance provided the level of clarity that organisations really need in what is a very contested space?”

“This is quite a gnarly and intense subject, and it is something that the public care a great deal about. There were some technical changes to the code during its drafting and before it was laid before Parliament. What prompted the Government to suggest to the EHRC that it should revise the original draft in relation to…”

“You have a very large brief in terms of equalities. I would like to move on to some other areas, specifically around disability. Not being able to access British Sign Language courses and training for deaf people and their families can have a devastating impact on those people and everyone around them. This may also be…”

“Just to declare a personal interest, I have 11 nephews and nieces in Australia. We know that Australia went down the route of a ban; we also know that there is data that many children are still accessing social media. I know the Government’s argument, and part of the theory of change is that having a ban for under-16s …”

“This Government have done quite important things around making sure that where there are structural inequalities, particularly ones related to income, wealth and disability, resources are moved to support and overcome those inequalities. Have you made any assessment of the financial cost of providing free BSL training …”

“Again, from the point of view of equalities law, we are likely to be asking everyone of every age to have to verify that. Everyone in this room would have to verify their age to access their Facebook accounts and so on. Does that have an equalities implication? To protect young people, we are asking adults to change ho…”

“In wider areas of equalities where social media has a big impact, we have had evidence that content produced by women about women’s health and enabling women to talk openly about women’s health issues is being shadow-banned and downgraded by social media companies because, frankly, it is less divisive and more inclusiv…”

“There is some variation across the UK. Northern Ireland has legislated the right for access to sign language courses for deaf children and their families. Will this Government do the same for England, or maybe recommend it more widely across the UK?”

“LGBT people have told us that they are always having to come out in new situations and, over time, they suddenly realise it is quite psychologically wearing. Do you have something like that where every time you are hitting that misogyny and sexism you think, “Why am I doing this again?” Does it have a burden?”

“You all talked about mentors, family support and things like that. It sounds like you are all lucky in different ways in having different people around you that were very supportive. Has that ever been formalised, particularly for people starting their careers in officiating? Are there formal programmes now, or should …”

“Did any of the rest of you hit any barriers, particularly ones just related to you being a woman?”

“Thank you all for coming. I am slightly intimidated by so many competent referees and umpires. I just want to understand from each of you how you got into officiating in the first place.”

“What barriers did you hit along the way?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I commend my hon. and caring Friend the Member for Ashford (Sojan Joseph) for securing this important debate, which is very pressing for everyone in Kent. As the right hon. Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) has just said, this issue is causing a…”

“With all that feedback you have had so far, if you were trying to implement this in practice—putting yourself in the head of a nurse on a ward and trying to accommodate patients—what would worry you about the challenges from what you have heard back from the sectors already?”

“A situation I can picture from things that I have experienced in the past is where you have one patient who gets very angry because maybe there is a trans person or someone who is gender non-conforming in an adjacent bed and they are having a row, but you cannot share the direct clinical information or any other inform…”

“It is not just legal advice. In practical terms professionals on the ground are going to find parts of this very challenging to implement and particularly to have sensitive conversations around someone’s sex in terms of the Supreme Court judgment and balancing that with their transgender and gender recognition status. …”

“That is in government elements such as the Department of Health and Social Care, but has that included arm’s length bodies such as NHS England, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and so on?”

“Do you have a process for going back to those organisations for check and challenge to see whether the guide and the code are actually practical?”

“Thank you very much for everything you have said so far. I would like to actually build on what Alex was saying about the practicalities of the code. My background is in nursing and healthcare and it is often quite challenging managing single sex accommodations with inpatient services. Balancing those requirements with…”