The Department commissioned the Cost of School Uniform report in 2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436576/RR474_Cost_of_school_uniform.pdf. This report found that the average expenditure for a school uniform at primary school was £192.14 for boys and £201.04 for girls. For secondary pupils, the average costs were £231.01 for boys and £239.93 for girls.

No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to the school of their choice. The Government is supporting the current Private Members' Bill (Guidance about the Cost of School Uniform) which was introduced to Parliament on 5 February 2021, to make our guidance on the cost considerations for school uniform statutory.

The Department has not carried out an assessment of the value for money of sole supply arrangements. The Department publishes guidance for schools on school uniform. Our guidance is clear that when deciding how to source school uniform, the governing body should give highest priority to the consideration of cost and value for money for parents. The governing body should be able to demonstrate how best value has been achieved. The guidance also recommends that schools avoid exclusive single-supply contracts unless a regular competitive tendering process is run to secure best value for parents. The Department believes that this approach provides the right balance to secure open and transparent arrangements and good value for money.

The Government is supporting the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Private Members' Bill to enable us to issue statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform. The Department’s existing guidance on cost considerations will form the basis for the new statutory guidance.

In October 2018, following a comprehensive equality analysis, an interim policy change was introduced to ensure that both male and female convicted prisoners were subject to the same national policy on prison-issue clothing. This was confirmed in the Incentives Policy Framework launched on 13 January 2020. The Policy Framework requires all convicted prisoners to wear prison-issue clothing, unless the governor allows them to wear their own clothes as a privilege under their prison’s local incentive arrangements.

An equalities assessment underpins the extant policy on prison uniform.

Transgender prisoners can present themselves in the relevant gender, which may include wearing their own clothes, subject to risk, security or operational assessments.

We are currently reviewing the arrangements on prison-issue clothing with the intention of ensuring that in the future the national policy will treat male and female prisoners the same. As part of this work we are considering the equality implications for prisoners with protected characteristics (including transgender prisoners) and how we may mitigate any disadvantages.

An equalities assessment underpins the extant policy on prison uniform.

Transgender prisoners can present themselves in the relevant gender, which may include wearing their own clothes, subject to risk, security or operational assessments.

We are currently reviewing the arrangements on prison-issue clothing with the intention of ensuring that in the future the national policy will treat male and female prisoners the same. As part of this work we are considering the equality implications for prisoners with protected characteristics (including transgender prisoners) and how we may mitigate any disadvantages.

Decisions on uniform requirements for different roles within their force are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

The police remain operationally independent and it is for Chief Constables and PCCs locally to decide how to best equip their staff.

All prison officers working in public sector prisons and young offender institutions are required to wear uniform as part of their conditions of service. Uniform is provided partly as a security measure to aid the immediate identification of staff. There has been no assessment of the self-esteem of either female or male officers in being required to wear uniform.

The Department has not assessed the effect on the self-esteem of female hospital staff having to wear uniform.

There is advice available to hospitals on the NHS Employers website via the following links:

http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/plan/building-a-diverse-workforce/need-to-know/dress-codes-and-discrimination

http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/plan/building-a-diverse-workforce/need-to-know/wearing-face-veils-in-the-workplace

The department has published advisory guidance on school uniform policy. The guidance makes clear that it is for the governing body of a school to decide whether there should be a school uniform policy and if so what that should be. It also makes clear that, when deciding on uniform policy, a school will have to consider its obligations not to discriminate unlawfully, including on the basis of gender.

The guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.

The department has published advisory guidance on school uniform policy. The guidance makes clear that it is for the governing body of a school to decide whether there should be a school uniform policy and if so what that should be. It also makes clear that, when deciding on uniform policy, a school will have to consider its obligations not to discriminate unlawfully, including on the basis of gender.

The guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.

The requirement for prisoners to wear uniform is set out in the Incentives and Earned Privileges national policy framework, Prison Service Instruction 30/2013. During the review of this policy in 2013 an Equality Impact Assessment was completed and I have placed a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.