Meetings regarding age of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002


Information requested

Since 1 April 2020, have Scottish Government Ministers and/or officials met with the following organisations to discuss proposals to reduce the age at which an individual can obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate and the implications for the use of single sex spaces in schools?

1. Teaching trades unions
2. Children and Young People's Commissioner
3. National Parent Forum of Scotland
4. Charities representing the rights of children and young people in Scotland
5. Association of Directors of Education in Scotland
6. Connect Scotland
7. Representatives of CAMHS

Please provide details of when such meetings took place as well as minutes and notes taken.

Response

The consultation on the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill closed on 17 March 2020. On 1 April 2020, the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans announced the Government's plans for managing its legislative programme in light of the impacts of Covid-19 and work on the Bill paused at that time. In September 2021, the Scottish Government announced the intention to bring forward the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in this Parliamentary Year.

Here is the information you requested;

Ministerial Meetings

Meeting date

Stakeholder

Information held

18 Nov 21

LGBTI Equality Groups

  • Stonewall Scotland,
  • Equality Network
  • Scottish Trans
  • LGBT Youth
  • LGBT Health and Wellbeing

Requested 06 July

Minutes of meetings - see document 1 attached

13 Dec 21

LGBT Youth

Requested 18 Nov

Meeting proposed by LGBT Youth during initial Ministerial meeting of 18 Nov 21

Minutes of meeting - see document 2 attached

 

Officials Meetings

Meeting date

Stakeholder

Information Held

24 Sept 21

Children and Young People’s Commissioner

Phone call arranged by CYPC Office. No notes or minutes held

17 Nov 21

LGBT Youth

No notes or minutes held

07 Dec 21

LGBT Stakeholders

  • Stonewall Scotland,
  • Equality Network
  • Scottish Trans
  • LGBT Youth

No notes or minutes held

One further meeting with LGBT youth has taken place but has not been included as this does not fall within the scope of your request.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested, because it is personal data of a third party, in that it consists of personal information that may identify an individual and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption".

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202200269367 - Information Released - Annex

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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