Speeches by Duffield.

“Does anyone else want to come in on the idea of an Accessibility Act?”

“Could the EHRC be better at enforcement or be stronger than it is?”

“The next section is about fluctuating conditions, and you have all mentioned it. What we are trying to get out of this section is that a lot of disabled people would not necessarily know what those definitions are because it is about their everyday lived lives, which are very specific to them. How can we, as lawmakers,…”

“Patricia, did you want to come in?”

“As legislators, it still surprises me. It is 2026. We have very few people who will identify as disabled in the Chamber of the House of Commons. We know that it is one in five or one in six, so 25%. That is still behind the national picture, is it not? It would probably help if we were not like that. Does anybody on th…”

“We are going to talk a bit more about the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments. Fazilet and James, I would like to bring you in on the first one. There is research evidence that suggests that many jobseekers, employees and employers are unaware that flexible working arrangements are in line with the Equality Act’s r…”

“James, did you want to come in?”

“What do you think about raising awareness of those rights? You are all trying to do that but what role might the Government have in that?”

“We were talking more about elite sports there, but when Alice was talking about the younger girls coming through and community and grassroots sports, holding that data is where it starts; if that is how you progress women through that is really vital, isn’t it?”

“In those sports do you feel like some have a lot more money for research? That must be the case.”

“Emma, two years ago the previous Women and Equalities Committee recommended more concerted and co-ordinated action across sports to address the gender gap data in sports science. In your view, have we seen more sports working together on research? Kirsty mentioned the gatekeeping aspect. Do you feel that sometimes peop…”

“If we do not undertake that kind of research, if the money literally runs out and we cannot tailor things specifically to women’s needs, what sort of impact is that likely to have on women’s participation in sport? Kirsty’s research is specifically about ovarian health and things, for example, but if we cannot do that …”

“You are saying that Britain is really good on this, Kirsty, but if we fell behind, would we literally see those results tables change internationally?”

“Our APPG on birth trauma report in 2024 was the first in Parliament on that subject. We heard from more than 1,300 women and families. The report was titled, “Listen to Mums”. I am glad that an independent maternity commissioner will finally be implemented, after our years of calls for one. Bill Kirkup’s headline findi…”

“It sounds as though you are trying to make it uniform across Departments, which is key, is it not? Do you have a response to calls—I do not know if you have even had these calls—to repeal the PSED?”

“Have any actions emerged that your Department will take? By the way, does anyone else want to come in on that?”

“Let us move on to the efficiency and enforcement of the public sector equality duty. What did you learn from your call in April 2025 for evidence on ensuring that public sector equality duty is met by all parties ensuring public functions?”

“My apologies for being late, Chair; I was in the Chamber for the Ockenden report statement just now. Secretary of State, you mentioned black maternal health in the light of the Ockenden review. The Health and Social Care Committee recently published a report on black maternal health. Is your Department working in conju…”

“In the 25 months since Theo Clarke and I produced the first ever parliamentary report on birth trauma, and nearly four years since we discussed the East Kent Kirkup report in this place, we have seen more and more reports, more and more scandals, more and more heartbreaking stories, and several Health Secretaries. Camp…”

“Last autumn, on the announcement of the trial of puberty blockers on children, a cross-party coalition of Members and peers assembled who have serious concerns and are campaigning together for the Government to reverse this terrible decision. These are Members from across the political spectrum—as diverse as the indepe…”