My Lords, the Minister mentioned the wider travel advisory for British nationals not to visit Pakistan, and the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley, immediately replied that they would be visiting in their thousands anyway. Has the Foreign Office reviewed the meaning of travel advisories on a wider level? The country is regularly held to a kind of ransom by unsavoury regimes when their nationals—I say this in quotation marks—are taken hostage or held in unsavoury conditions. While I applaud the work of the consular service of the FCDO, I think the travel advisory system needs broader review.

My Lords, the Minister mentioned the wider travel advisory for British nationals not to visit Pakistan, and the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley, immediately replied that they would be visiting in their thousands anyway. Has the Foreign Office reviewed the meaning of travel advisories on a wider level? The country is regularly held to a kind of ransom by unsavoury regimes when their nationals—I say this in quotation marks—are taken hostage or held in unsavoury conditions. While I applaud the work of the consular service of the FCDO, I think the travel advisory system needs broader review.

My Lords, I want to draw the House’s attention to a specific case concerning child-grooming gang rapists who are no longer British citizens. I think the Minister will not be surprised to hear me refer to the case of Mr Shabir Ahmed, who we are told cannot be deported because...

My Lords, I want to draw the House’s attention to a specific case concerning child-grooming gang rapists who are no longer British citizens. I think the Minister will not be surprised to hear me refer to the case of Mr Shabir Ahmed, who we are told cannot be deported because...

My Lords, in speaking in this debate, I declare my long-standing association with the National Secular Society. I will be drawing on material from the think tank Policy Exchange, where I am a distinguished fellow.

As time is so limited, I will make only two broad points: first, that the effective...

My Lords, in speaking in this debate, I declare my long-standing association with the National Secular Society. I will be drawing on material from the think tank Policy Exchange, where I am a distinguished fellow.

As time is so limited, I will make only two broad points: first, that the effective...

My Lords, I am sure the whole House will agree that any violent attack against a specific community is utterly reprehensible. We have stood here too frequently in the last couple of years evaluating the aftermath of antisemitic attacks and attacks against Jewish people—violent terrorist attacks against a much tinier minority. Does the noble Lord agree that, given the plethora of anti-religious, terrorist and other criminal laws we have on the statute books, any further attempts to develop new policies and laws to deal with specific religions goes against the grain of our equality, and we should be even-handed and treat all religious discrimination fairly without two-tier perceptions of justice?

My Lords, I am sure the whole House will agree that any violent attack against a specific community is utterly reprehensible. We have stood here too frequently in the last couple of years evaluating the aftermath of antisemitic attacks and attacks against Jewish people—violent terrorist attacks against a much tinier minority. Does the noble Lord agree that, given the plethora of anti-religious, terrorist and other criminal laws we have on the statute books, any further attempts to develop new policies and laws to deal with specific religions goes against the grain of our equality, and we should be even-handed and treat all religious discrimination fairly without two-tier perceptions of justice?

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Cabinet Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Cabinet Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when...

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, this yet another inquiry is long overdue; I think we all accept that, but we understand that the noble Baroness, Lady Longfield, is committed to ensuring that it works as well as it can. Does the Minister agree that it is incredibly important, for social cohesion and for...

My Lords, this yet another inquiry is long overdue; I think we all accept that, but we understand that the noble Baroness, Lady Longfield, is committed to ensuring that it works as well as it can. Does the Minister agree that it is incredibly important, for social cohesion and for...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Defence has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Defence has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Home Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Home Office has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by when they...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department for Education has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department for Education has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations; and by...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department of Health and Social Care has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and...

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Department of Health and Social Care has made in revising its internal policies to take account of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, in light of the EHRC Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and...

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, under which this code was written. The Minister has referred several times to the fact that the Government interacted with the EHRC to take feedback, consultations and, as the Minister in the other place repeatedly...

My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, under which this code was written. The Minister has referred several times to the fact that the Government interacted with the EHRC to take feedback, consultations and, as the Minister in the other place repeatedly...

My Lords, now that the Minister has agreed that government departments need to conform to the Supreme Court ruling, will she be able to tell the House what amount of public funds has been expended since the Forstater judgment of 2021 on religion and belief by government departments in litigation and settlements that deal with civil servants bringing cases against government departments? If she does not have that figure to hand, could she write to me telling me what it is?

My Lords, now that the Minister has agreed that government departments need to conform to the Supreme Court ruling, will she be able to tell the House what amount of public funds has been expended since the Forstater judgment of 2021 on religion and belief by government departments in litigation and settlements that deal with civil servants bringing cases against government departments? If she does not have that figure to hand, could she write to me telling me what it is?

My Lords, I declare an interest as a former chair of the EHRC and as a fellow of the think tank Policy Exchange. The nation’s confidence and trust in our public institutions is ebbing and, as it does, it damages our constitutional and economic settlement as a country. I am...

My Lords, I declare an interest as a former chair of the EHRC and as a fellow of the think tank Policy Exchange. The nation’s confidence and trust in our public institutions is ebbing and, as it does, it damages our constitutional and economic settlement as a country. I am...

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), where it is set out that a document such as the EHRC’s Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations cannot be laid in the pre-election period.

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), where it is set out that a document such as the EHRC’s Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations cannot be laid in the pre-election period.

To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they have received on whether the Equality and Human Rights Commission code of practice for services, public functions and associations has any bearing on employers' obligations; and, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), on what timescale...

To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they have received on whether the Equality and Human Rights Commission code of practice for services, public functions and associations has any bearing on employers' obligations; and, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 14 April (HL Deb col 197), on what timescale...

My Lords, it is becoming a little repetitive for the House to hear for over a year that the Government must comply with the law of the land. We understand that the Minister’s role is to represent the Government, so I wonder why he cannot explain why he is not complying with the law. He has mentioned the pre-election sensitivity period now, which is the latest reason given by the Government for not laying the EHRC code of practice. I have looked it up and more than 60 statutory instruments have been laid during this period. That pre-election guidance, published by his Government on 2 March, applies only to primary legislation. Will the Minister tell the House whether he has consulted the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office and/or the legislative secretariat of the Cabinet Office to find out whether he can lay the code? If he has not done so, why not? Will he also lay that advice in the Library for all to see?

My Lords, it is becoming a little repetitive for the House to hear for over a year that the Government must comply with the law of the land. We understand that the Minister’s role is to represent the Government, so I wonder why he cannot explain why he is not complying with the law. He has mentioned the pre-election sensitivity period now, which is the latest reason given by the Government for not laying the EHRC code of practice. I have looked it up and more than 60 statutory instruments have been laid during this period. That pre-election guidance, published by his Government on 2 March, applies only to primary legislation. Will the Minister tell the House whether he has consulted the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office and/or the legislative secretariat of the Cabinet Office to find out whether he can lay the code? If he has not done so, why not? Will he also lay that advice in the Library for all to see?