Petition Confirm a timeline to pass the ban on LGBT+ Conversion Therapy into law

The Government has launched a public call for evidence to help the development of legislation for banning the practice of so-called conversion therapy, which particularly affect LGBT people.

Read a summary of the proposals, and share your views:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-conversion-therapy

The call for evidence is open until 10 December 2021.

Proposals to ban conversion therapy

The Government announced its plans to ban LGBT conversion therapy as part of the Queen's speech in May 2021 and has now launched a consultation to seek views on a number of proposed measures that will apply to England and Wales, which include:

• a ban on conversion therapy – introducing a new criminal offence alongside sentence uplifts for existing offences

• a package of support for victims, restricting promotion of conversion therapies, removing profit streams, and strengthening the case for disqualification from holding a senior role in a charity

• introducing Conversion Therapy Protection Orders to protect potential victims from undergoing the practice including overseas

• exploring further measures to prevent the promotion and advertisement of conversion therapy

The Government has said responses to the consultation will inform the policy proposals and the draft legislation which is expected by spring 2022.

Who is running the consultation?

The consultation is being run by the Government Equalities Office (GEO), the Government office that leads work on policy relating to women, sexual orientation and transgender equality.

Find out more about the GEO:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-equalities-office

Petitions debate on conversion therapy

The Petitions Committee scheduled a debate on the topic of LGBT conversion therapy, which took place in Parliament on 8 March 2021

Watch the debate here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl38dzzn1wc

Read the transcript here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-03-08/debates/552D6176-C4D5-47F1-A8C1-C900B58AEB7C/LGBTConversionTherapy

You can find out more about this debate and conversion therapy in the House of Commons Library briefing produced for this debate: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2021-0030/

The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee is holding two focussed sessions on conversion therapy, and will be looking at the Government's proposals to ban these practices, which are currently under public consultation.

The Committee will hold the first of two evidence sessions on the subject on Wednesday 24 November, where it will hear from two panels of witnesses, exploring different concerns about the Government’s proposals.

Watch the session from 2.30pm: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/6b3fe0a8-92ca-4b54-ab2a-8e2831daab06

Topics to be discussed at the session will include:

• what a definition of conversion therapy should look like

• the issue of informed consent

• religious freedoms

• parental responsibilities.

You can read more about the session here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1620/the-governments-consultation-on-conversion-therapy/news/159002/mps-hold-evidence-session-on-conversion-therapy/

The Committee will hold a second evidence session on Tuesday 30 November, with a Government Minister. Updates about these sessions will be posted here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1620/the-governments-consultation-on-conversion-therapy/

The Government's consultation on banning conversion therapy

The Government is currently consulting on proposals to ban conversion therapy, and support victims of these practices. You can read a summary of the proposals, and share your views here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-conversion-therapy

The consultation will close on 10 December 2021.

What is the Women and Equalities Committee?

The Women and Equalities Committee examines the work of the Government Equalities Office (GEO). It holds Government to account on equality law and policy, including the Equality Act 2010 and cross Government activity on equalities. It also scrutinises the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Find out more on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/

You can get updates on their work by following the Committee on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Commonswomequ

This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

You can also sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/

The Petitions Committee, the group of MPs who consider parliamentary e-petitions, has written to the Minister for Women and Equalities to request an urgent update on when the Government will introduce a legislative ban on 'conversion therapy' practices.

• Read the Committee's letter

The Government included plans to ban these practices in the 2021 Queen's Speech, and held a consultation to help develop legislation from October 2021 to February 2022. A Conversion Therapy Bill was then included in the 2022 Queen’s Speech. However, the Bill did not progress to become law.

Legislation to ban the practices was not included in the 2023 King’s Speech, which set out the Government’s legislative programme for the remainder of this Parliament.

The Committee has asked for an update on the Government's plans. We’ll share the Government's response with you when we receive this.

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The Minister for Equalities, Stuart Andrew MP, has responded to the Petitions Committee's letter asking for an urgent update on when the Government will legislate to ban 'conversion therapy' practices.

The Minister has said that the Government is determined to publish a draft conversion practices Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. He emphasises that attempts at 'conversion therapy' are abhorrent and said that a Bill would identify those practices as a particular threat to LGBT people and confirm the illegality of harmful processes intended to change someone.

• Read the Minister's update
• Read the Committee's letter asking for an update

MPs hold debate on Government policy on conversion practices

On Wednesday 6 December, MPs took part in a Westminster Hall debate on Government policy on conversion practices. The debate was led by Christian Wakeford MP, and the Minister for Equalities, Stuart Andrew MP, responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

Westminster Hall is the second chamber of the House of Commons. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local and national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Westminster Hall debates are general debates that do not end in a vote.

• Find out more about Westminster Hall debates

MPs question Minister for Women and Equalities about conversion practices

On Wednesday 13 December, MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee questioned the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, including about conversion practices.

• Watch the discussions
• Read a transcript

The Women and Equalities Committee examines the work of the Government Equalities Office (GEO). It holds the Government to account on equality law and policy, including the Equality Act 2010 and cross Government activity on equalities. It also scrutinises the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

• Find out more about the Committee on their website
• Follow the committee on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates on its work

The Women and Equalities Committee is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work.

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MPs recently debated proposals to change the law to ban conversion practices, as part of a debate on a Private Member's Bill.

• Watch the debate
• Read the transcript of the debate

The proposed changes to the law did not progress further, but a Government Minister repeated the Government's commitment to bring forward draft legislation to ban conversion practices, for scrutiny by Parliament. We will update you with any news about Government legislation on this subject.

What proposals were MPs debating?

MPs were debating the Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Bill, which is a Private Member's Bill. This means the Bill was introduced by an MP who is not a government minister. Only a minority of Private Members' Bills become law, but, by creating publicity around an issue, they may affect legislation indirectly.

The Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Bill included provisions to create offences relating to practices intended to change a person’s sexual orientation, or to change a person to or from being transgender.

• Read more about the measures included in the Bill in this House of Commons Library Research Briefing
• Read the Bill and documents relating to it on its Parliamentary Bill page
• Find out more about Private Members' Bills

What has the Government said about banning conversion practices?

The Government has repeatedly committed to take action to prohibit conversion practices.

On 29 October 2021 the Government published a consultation on banning conversion therapy, to help it develop legislation for banning conversion therapy.

The Government has not published the outcome of its consultation on banning conversion practices, but has said that it will publish a draft Bill which will set out a proposed approach to ban conversion practices. Draft Bills are published to enable the detailed examination of an early draft of a Bill.

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