February 2026

• As part of our commitment to women’s rights and to ensuring that women’s voices, especially those most marginalised, are heard in political and policy spaces, we have submitted a response to the Government’s consultation on A Fairer Pathway to Settlement. This is a proposed overhaul of the UK’s legal migration model and we are concerned these changes could disproportionately harm women. Our submission was developed with input from FiLiA team members with lived experience of immigration and asylum, as well as two focus groups: an in-person session in Manchester with the Lesbian Immigration Support Group (LISG), and an online session for women across the UK. Our submission is also informed by the expertise of Project Resist and is supported by members of The Resist Network. This response reflects the voices of women navigating these systems and calls for a fair, transparent migration policy that centres women’s rights, needs and lived realities.

January 2026

• FiLiA’s response to the call for input on violence and discrimination to lesbians from the UN’s Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, which explains that the novel grouping of Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer (LBQ), created for this survey, will render lesbians invisible by including them within an amalgamation which covers men with various gender identities, and by the use of the undefined term of ‘queer’, which has multiple and changing meanings.

November 2025

• FiLiA's letters to both the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Welsh Government in response to the EHRC’s formal enforcement action concerning serious failures in the Welsh Government’s compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The EHRC identified significant shortcomings in how the Welsh Government conducts Equality Impact Assessments and engages with those affected by its decisions. In our letter to the EHRC, we welcome this intervention and offer our support and collaboration to help strengthen the implementation of the PSED in Wales, ensuring women’s voices, experiences, and rights are central to policy making. In our accompanying letter to the Welsh Government, we urge officials to reform their approach to Equality Impact Assessments and widen stakeholder engagement to include grassroots women’s organisations. Drawing on our research, strong community base and practical toolkits, we provide concrete recommendations to help restore trust and bring policy making in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

October 2025

• FiLiA’s response to the POST, (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology), an ‘impartial research and knowledge exchange service based in the UK Parliament’ consultation on surrogacy. POST announced its consultation on 1st August this year with the consultation closing on 5th October, and described the current law as ‘outdated’ and used biased language in its call. Whilst the reason for the consultation was cited as being to ‘describe current surrogacy practice in the UK, and suggestions for reform’, the scope to respond meaningfully was significantly inhibited by a frustratingly restricted word count. There was only scope within the consultation to essentially answer two questions, within a 500 and 1500 character count. The consultation sought, within these brief limits, feedback on what the key issues were around surrogacy in the UK. You can see our extremely limited response here and no doubt share both our vexation at the depth of response allowed and our concerns for this to inhibit the potential for meaningful consultation.

June 2025

• We spoke to women across the UK with disabilities or caring responsibilities about the Government’s welfare reform proposals as outlined in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. Read our statement here and the full response here. Submitted 30th June 2025.

• Our response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) Code of practice for services, public functions and associations: consultation 2025. The consultation aimed to gather feedback on changes the EHRC made following the UK Supreme Court ruling on 16 April 2025 in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers (For Women Scotland), which found that the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 means biological sex. Read our full response here. Submitted 30th June 2025.

• Critical protections for women are too often unconsidered and failing in their purpose. We responded to the Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO)’s Equality Law Call for Evidence to raise the alarm that the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is failing women. The OEO is interested in whether non-public bodies exercising public functions are meeting their obligations under the PSED. However, this narrow focus misses a more fundamental opportunity. Read our statement here and our full response here. Submitted 30th June 2025.

March 2025

• Our detailed response to the Bertin Review, in which we drew on the experiences shared by Women with direct experience of the industry, and we continue to push for them to be consulted in any further reviews. We welcome the Review and its recommendations and are reassured to see the Government recognise the urgent need to tackle the harms of pornography. However, we are clear there is no such thing as ‘safe’ pornography and more needs to be done to protect and support women and girls who are harmed by pornography. Read our detailed response here.

FiLiA's campaigns and policy team, which includes the FiLiA Women’s Assembly, is working to support women to get their voices heard by local and national policy makers and decision makers. Here we will share consultations, calls for evidence and other opportunities which may be of particular interest to women, and where it will be important for policy makers to hear from women on their experiences and their perspectives:

• New guidance is being drafted by the Home Office on the use of facial recognition technology. This will examine public attitudes toward the use of this technology and include considerations of privacy and safeguarding. A consultation has been launched to gather views and evidence to inform this work. Ends: 12th February 2026. Legal framework for using facial recognition in law enforcement – GOV.UK

• The 2025 UK Immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, introduced significant reforms to how migrants can settle in the UK, including the notion that settlement is earned through meaningful contributions to the UK’s economy and society. The Home Office is now seeking views on the implementation of those proposed reforms. Ends: 12th February 2026. Earned Settlement – GOV.UK

• The Work and Pensions Committee’s inquiry, which seeks to complement the independent Milburn Review into Young People and Work, will explore the causes of economic inactivity and how to help young people into work, education or training, and scrutinise the Government’s plans.  Ends 12th February 2026. Youth employment, education and training – UK Parliament

• The Department of Culture, Media and Sport have launched a consultation on their proposed Equality Scheme relating to Northern Ireland. Ends: 20th February 2026. Equality Scheme for Department for Culture, Media and Sport – GOV.UK

• The Committee for Education (Northern Ireland) is bringing forward a proposal for a law to allow all pupils to wear trousers at school, so that this becomes a universal right. The Committee has worked extensively on the issue of school uniforms this year. It has heard a very strong appeal for this change and considers this an important issue which has a very significant impact on daily life in school. For the most part, girls do not currently have the right to choose to wear trousers (or shorts) to school, so they are the pupils in question. They would like to hear your views on their idea. Ends 20th February 2026. Proposal for a Bill on the right to choose to wear trousers in school – Northern Ireland Assembly

• The Department of Education is consulting on a creating Child Protection Authority (CPA), a national body to improve child protection. They propose the CPA to be an expert, accurate and decisive body. It will make the multi-agency child protection system clearer, more unified and ensure there are ongoing improvements through effective evidence-based support. Ends 5th March 2026. Establishing the Child Protection Authority in England – GOV.UK

• The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into children and young adults in the secure estate in England and Wales to determine if the current system effectively prevents offending while upholding a ‘child-first’ approach. The inquiry will scrutinise the various types of secure settings and the suitability and safety of these environments.  Ends 13th March 2026. Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate – UK Parliament

• Baroness Amos is asking women and families across England to share their experiences of maternity and neonatal care through a public Call for Evidence. Responses to the Call for Evidence will be used to inform the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s findings and recommendations. Ends 17th March 2026. National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation Call for Evidence

• The Scottish government is seeking views on a transformative future for secure care, and for the children who may need its support. Secure accommodation is a critical part of Scotland’s child welfare and justice systems. It is for a small number of children whose risks cannot be managed in any other setting and is one of the most intensive and restrictive forms of child care available in Scotland. Ends 16th April 2026. Scottish Government – The future of secure care and the single point of contact for victims in the Children's Hearings System

• New street space improvements in the city centre are planned as part of Glasgow’s People First Zone. This project will reshape key streets into high quality public spaces that put people first - making the city centre safer, more accessible, and more welcoming for everyone.
  Ends 19th April 2026. People First Zone (PFZ) – Glasgow City Council

• The Scottish Government is seeking views on significant reforms to family law, including improving cohabitants' financial rights, raising the marriage/civil partnership age to 18, extending simplified divorce for parents, and updating rules for religious celebrants. This consultation aims to gather public and professional input on implementing recommendations from the Scottish Law Commission and addressing issues like forced marriage and child welfare in divorce. Ends 21st April 2026. Scottish Government – Family Law consultation.

• The Ministry of Justice is consulting on a new Victims’ Code for England and Wales. They say a clearer code will give victims certainty about what to expect, and it will help them better hold criminal justice agencies to account for the service they provide. They want to hear from those with lived experience, those who support them, as well as professionals working in the criminal justice system. Ends 30th April 2026.
  A new Victims’ Code: consultation document – GOV.UK