Petitions Committee Chase answer to e-petition 'Sex is Biological Sex'

[TheBadLuckOfTeelaBrown]

In case you are interested and if it hasn't yet been posted; I had this update from the Petition Committee on this petition.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623243

The Government reply is 6 weeks late! Surprise! Pull your finger out your arse Kemi!

committees.parliament.uk/publications/33459/documents/181842/default/

I saw that this morning. Bit unfair, KB's quite busy with highly pertinent issues at the moment!

I saw this today

I hadn’t realised the petition had got to 69k signatures. There’s a strong possibility it will hit 100k by April when it closes, which would be amazing. This is getting to be more and more of a mainstream issue

asking for a response by the 18th of January. This is an interesting month.

Really hope it gets to the debate stage!!

Is it right that the government has until 19 Jan to decide about S35? That's what I'm seeing:

twitter.com/capx/status/1612482089773043712?s=46&t=rRBUyguVZmirnedWN6XKjQ

For anyone who has not signed it:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4668426-petition-update-the-equality-act-to-make-clear-the-characteristic-sex-is-biological-sex?page=1

It is indeed.

I wonder whether the delayed response is because this, and other petitions doing quite well that are all associated, plus the pressing Scotland issue, is causing a lot of thought and discussion in Westminster and this time there is not a quick and easy 'holding' answer such as is usually banged out by an aide in response to a 10,000 petition. Since most of us could recite the basic cut and paste standard response to most petitions. Which would make this one a rare beast with more going on.

IIRC the petition on crime reporting by sex got to 10,000 and then got quashed via a response that screamed "written by captured Home Office bod". But this one has been allowed to keep motoring.

The lack of response is concerning, they haven't even done the usual patronising 'of course it means what it says, and service providers are able to use the exemptions to provide single sex services''.

''Dear Minister
I am writing regarding the Government’s failure to respond to e-petition
623243, entitled “Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex”
is biological sex”.
The standards for responding to e-petitions, which have been agreed between
the Petitions Committee and Leader of the House, state that Government
responses should be provided within 14 days and no later than 21 days.
A response to this petition was first requested on 3 November 2022, and the
Government’s response is now over six weeks late.
Petitioners are entitled to a response from the Government when their petition
receives over 10,000 signatures, and this should be provided in a timely fashion.
I am sure you will agree that the delay in responding to this petition is not
acceptable.
I would be grateful if you could provide the Government’s response to this
petition, and an explanation for the delay in responding, by no later than
Wednesday 18 January.''
committees.parliament.uk/publications/33459/documents/181842/default/

I like the way the petitions committee seem quite uninfluenced by Westminster politics.

Do you remember they once sent back a written response re VAW and basically said it wasn't good enough as it avoided answering the main point of the petition.

And much as I hope it reaches the number needed for a discussion dont forget unless a lot of MPs sign up to say they want to attend the discussion could be just a small committee room with at best 10 people, 5 of whom are MPs secretaries or something.

How many of us think out MP would be one of those interested in promoting the intention of the petition?

I think it will be influenced by whether the Government takes action against the Scottish GRR.

And this maybe why the Petition Committee is setting a deadline so they the petition doesn't get caught up in the political manoeuvring.

It does suggest that a lot of things are starting to come together, that it can't be fudged much longer, and an official line to take has not yet been worked out.

Fingers tightly crossed for westminster finding some backbone. And hope that the delay is working out how to do it right rather than a lot of unwillingness to do it at all.