On Monday 8 march at 6.15pm, there will be a westminster hall debate on the petition “Make lgbt conversion therapy illegal”, led by Elliot colburn mp.
The petition
The petition to Make LGBT conversion therapy illegal in the UK closed on 13 September 2020 with 256,392 signatures. It received a response from the Government in May 2020.
All petitions which receive more than 100,000 signatures are considered for a debate by the Petitions Committee (the group of MPs responsible for petitions received on petition.parliament.uk). The petition reached 100,000 signatures in June 2020. The Petitions Committee agreed to schedule the petition for a debate.
Who has signed the petition?
You can view a heat map showing the numbers of signatories by Parliamentary constituencies here: https://petitionmap.unboxedconsulting.com/?petition=300976
When will the petition be debated?
The Petitions Committee has agreed to schedule this petition for a debate on Monday 8 March at 6.15pm. The debate will last for 90 minutes.
How can I watch the debate?
The debate will be streamed live on Parliament’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl38dzzn1wc&feature=youtu.be
Why has this petition been waiting so long for a debate?
Petition debates usually take place on Monday afternoons in Westminster Hall, the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Petition debates were suspended in March 2020 because of Covid-19 and social distancing measures. Debates were temporarily resumed in October 2020, by which time the Committee had a large backlog of petitions to schedule for debate. Petition debates were suspended again in January, following the announcement of the current lockdown.
Monday 8 March will be the first official petitions debate to be scheduled since new arrangements, put in place to ensure that proceedings comply with public health guidelines, have been announced by the Government.
The new arrangements mean that petition debates will take place in a hybrid format, so that Members can attend virtually or in person. The sessions will take place physically in the Boothroyd Room in Parliament, where social distancing measures are in place. There will be a limit on the number of MPs who are permitted in the room at any one time.
In response to the announcement by the Government to allow hybrid proceedings for Westminster Hall debates, the Chair of the Petitions Committee, Catherine McKinnell said:
“On behalf of the millions of our constituents who have started and signed the 41 petitions currently awaiting debate, I welcome the House’s agreement to resume Westminster Hall debates, and for them to be hybrid, helping to keep Parliament Covid-secure and ensure that as many Members as possible can take part in our debates.
It is vital for the safety of the staff who are in Westminster keeping the House safe and functioning that we minimise attendance as much as we can, while ensuring we can all represent our constituents in debates. To achieve this, I urge the Government to maintain hybrid proceedings until it is safe for everyone working here to return.”
What action has the Petitions Committee taken on this petition so far?
On 27 July, the Chair of the Committee and Elliot Colburn MP wrote to the Minister for Women and Equalities to ask for further information on what it needed to make a decision on proposals for ending conversion therapy.
The Government responded on 16 September. It said that it was considering both legislative and non-legislative options to end conversion therapy practices and that it would outline plans to end conversion therapy practices in due course.
Public engagement
Since it started in 2015, the Petitions Committee has committed to do “all it can to maximise the potential for petitioners and other members of the public to be involved with debates on petitions.”
As part of this commitment, the Petitions Committee can organise discussions between the Lead Member of a debate, the petition creator, and other relevant stakeholders, to help inform the debate.
In preparation for the forthcoming debate, you met with Elliot Colburn MP, who will lead the debate on this petition.
The public engagement took the form of a private, virtual, round table discussion on 26 February. Those involved included petition creators, survivors of conversion therapy, representatives of support organisations and charities, representatives of religious organisations, representatives of the medical profession and academics.
Previous petitions and work by previous Petitions Committees on this issue
On 5 December 2017, the Committee considered the Government’s response to a petition entitled “Make offering gay conversion therapy a criminal offence” which closed in April 2018. It had an exchange of letters with the Government to ask for a revised response that directly addressed the points made by the petition.
On 21 March 2017, the Committee considered the Government’s response to a petition entitled “Make offering Gay Conversion Therapy a criminal offence in the UK” which closed in May 2017 with 35,046 signatures. It had an exchange of letters with the Government to ask for a revised response that directly addressed the points made by the petition.
What will happen in the debate?
Elliot Colburn, a Member of the Petitions Committee will open the debate and talk about the petition.
Other MPs can then speak about the issue and question the Government on what it’s doing about it.
A Government Minister has to take part and answer the points raised. They will normally speak at the end.
Will there be a vote?
No. Most debates in Parliament don’t lead to a vote.
Will there be a change in the law or a change in Government policy?
Debates cannot directly change the law. This is an opportunity for MPs to try to get the Government to commit to acting, or to change its policy.
The process for changing the law is normally started by the Government. Any change in policy will also be a decision for the Government, which is why it’s important for campaigners and MPs to raise awareness of an issue and try to persuade the Government to implement change.
Why is the debate important?
Debates put pressure on the Government to act, particularly if lots of MPs take part.
Debates raise the profile of a campaign inside Parliament and influence decision-making in Government and Parliament.
The Government Minister has to take part in the debate and put the Government’s position
Scottish Petitions Committee
The Scottish Petitions Committee has also been considering a petition it has received on ending conversion therapy. You can find out more here: https://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/EndingConversionTherapy
The Scottish Petitions Committee is independent from the UK Parliament Petitions Committee and questions about the work on this petition should be directed to them.
Want more information on so-called “conversion therapy”?
Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition was created in July 2020 calling on the UK Government to commit to a full legislative ban on so-called conversion therapy. They are a coalition of LGBT+ and faith communities and organisations, and mental health practitioners united in calling for the Government to Ban Conversion Therapy and support victims and survivors.
United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity published a report on conversion therapy in May 2020.
Memorandum of understanding on conversion therapy in the UK (July 2019) - the MoU (Memorandum of understanding) is a joint document signed by 20 health, counselling and psychotherapy organisations which aims to end the practice of conversion therapy in the UK.
The Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition has a list of further resources.