Overview
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission submitted its updated code on single-sex services months ago, but it has not been laid in Parliament.
- Bridget Phillipson says publication has been slowed by requests for additional material and she pledges to release the guidance as soon as possible.
- Officials have asked the EHRC to assess costs to organisations, including a request made on October 9, with the former chair saying other requested documents were provided on October 13.
- The EHRC insists its roughly 300-page draft is legally accurate and argues any costs arise from the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Equality Act defines sex by biology, not from the guidance itself.
- Under new chair Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, the regulator has signalled openness to a proportionate cost assessment, and both sides are exploring a collaborative route to publication that service providers say they need for clarity.