Written questions by Kyrke-Smith.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including asexuality as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

We have no plans for including asexuality as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 covers discrimination in employment, the provision of goods, services, and public functions, housing, premises, education, transport, occupational pensions, clubs, and associations. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of nine characteristics, including sex and sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is defined under the Act as a person’s orientation towards persons of the opposite sex, the same sex, or of either sex. The Act also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that someone has a protected characteristic, for example, that they are heterosexual, lesbian, or gay when they are not.

Whether it is her policy to ban conversion therapy for (a) asexual, (b) bisexual, (c) intersex and (d) nonbinary people.

This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped. Through the development of the Conversion Practices Bill, this Government will deliver on our manifesto commitment to bring forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, implementing key safeguards for LGBT people. We are committed to listening to all viewpoints as this work progresses, and to engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, organisations and all LGBT communities.