FOI/202200269367 · FOI · partially withheld
Meetings regarding age of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate: FOI release
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.
Detected exemption language
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".