Dear Department of Health and Social Care,

With the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Equality Act 2010 definition of sex includes only biological sex at birth and does not extend its protections to transgender individuals, Minister of State Karin Smyth was recently asked (and was unable to answer) the question of which changing rooms transgender people were to be expected to use to change clothes.

I assume that DHSC and its Ministers are planning on taking steps to ensure that transgender people are not excluded from access to basic facilities.

I would like to understand what work is taking place at DHSC to implement this new law in such a way that transgender people are not prevented from using public changing rooms, toilets, etc.

Please provide :

- details (dates, minutes, attendees) of any meetings taking place from October 2024 through December 2025 in which this ruling and its potential impacts were discussed
- details (such as equality impact assessments or details of any task and finish groups or working groups etc) of any work now planned to make assurances that, if transgender individuals are to be excluded from their usual toilets / changing rooms / etc, there is a statutory requirement for public places to provide gender neutral / unisex / trans inclusive toilet and changing facilities.

Yours faithfully,

Finn Keaney