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.

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.

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:

• The Manchester Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is refreshing its strategy to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour and support people with vulnerabilities. Manchester City Council is asking for what you think are the most important community safety priorities for Manchester.
  Ends: 18th July 2025. Community Safety Strategy consultation 2025 | Manchester City Council 

• The Scottish Government is looking at how best to focus policy work for long term health conditions, and which areas to prioritise for improvement. The consultation therefore asks a number of questions around what is working well in long term conditions, what could be better, and how you think they should prioritise work. Ends: 20th July 2025 Health: Long Term Conditions Framework – Scotland

• This consultation covers a range of proposals relating to the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales. Much of this consultation focuses on equal access to the scheme and its benefits. Ends: 7th August 2025. Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales – GOV.UK 

• The Welsh Government is consulting on their Draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan, which includes several topics within the following themes: Neighbourhoods and places, Employment, income and education, Independent living and Justice and supporting environments.
  Ends: 7th August 2025. Draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan – GOV.WALES

• The UK government has launched a consultation on a package of changes to improve the current NHS dental contract. The aim is to provide more urgent dental care appointments and encourage the delivery of more preventative care. Ends: 19th August 2025. NHS dentistry contract: quality and payment reforms – GOV.UK

• The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Business and Trade are inviting views and evidence on the proposed set of objectives for the parental leave and pay system, which include maternal health, economic growth, best start in life and childcare.
  Ends: 25th August 2025. Parental leave and pay review: call for evidence – GOV.UK

• The UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee is calling for evidence to inform their inquiry into the human rights of children in the English social care system. The scope of the inquiry will include the availability of additional support to families with disabled children and the efficacy of early intervention measures. Ends: 25th August 2025. Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England – UK Parliament

• The Culture, Media and Sport Parliamentary Committee is calling for evidence to inform its inquiry into children’s TV and video content.
  This will include issues relating to parental control of online content. Ends: 4th September 2025. Children's TV and video content – Committees – UK Parliament

• The Criminal Justice Committee is seeking views on a proposal by Ash Regan MSP for a new law about prostitution in Scotland, to inform the Committee’s scrutiny. The Bill would create a new offence of paying for sexual acts, aimed at those who seek to buy sexual services.
  Ends: 5th September 2025. Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill | Scottish Parliament Website

• The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is gathering feedback and comments on a new international guideline for the appropriate inclusion and/or retention of pregnant and/or breast-feeding women in clinical trials of medicines. Ends: 5th September 2025. Consultation on the ICH E21 Guideline on the Inclusion of Pregnant and Breast-feeding Women in Clinical Trials – GOV.UK

• This consultation aims to update the Decent Homes Standard which currently applies to social housing. The new standard will also apply to privately rented housing. The reformed Decent Homes Standard will set out clearly what tenants should expect from their landlords and when it will be implemented. Ends: 10th September 2025. Consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes – GOV.UK

• The Scotland Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee is seeking views on a proposed new law called the Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill. This includes a range of measures aimed at strengthening legal recourse and protection of women experiencing abuse.
  Ends: 15th September 2025. Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill – Scottish Parliament

• The UK Government’s Online Procedure Rule Committee is seeking views on their draft inclusion framework and pre-action model. This looks to improve digital access to justice in civil, family, and tribunal proceedings. Ends: 19th September 2025. Digital justice system: inclusion framework and pre-action model – GOV.UK

• Open call for evidence: Identification of victims of modern slavery. This call for evidence is an important step towards longer-term reforms of the modern slavery identification system (National Referral Mechanism/NRM). The UK Home Office is interested in hearing from a wide range of different groups about ways that the UK can have a more effective identification system for victims of modern slavery, where victims are recognised early and accurately so they can be protected and provided with appropriate assistance and support towards their recovery from exploitation. Ends 8th October 2025. Open call for evidence: Identification of victims of modern slavery – UK Home Office

• The Scottish Government is seeking views on student support available for further education (FE) and higher education (HE) part-time and distance study; and on the support available for full-time and part-time disabled students undertaking FE and HE study.
  Ends: 9th October 2025. Support for part-time study and disabled students: Survey for students, potential students, parents and carers – Scottish Government