School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill
The Ad Hoc Committee on the School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill is considering the Bill. The School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill was introduced by the Committee for Education to the Assembly in June 2026 and passed its Second Stage in June 2026.
The Bill amends the School Uniforms Act to create a statutory right for all pupils to be able to wear trousers as part of their school uniform. It also sets some additional requirements for the guidelines on school uniforms which the Department of Education is obliged to issue under the School Uniforms Act.
Siobhán will be making a brief response to the online survey for this consultation following a full Consortium response to the Committee for Education consultation on this issue in February 2026. The deadline for responses is Sunday 23rd August 2026 and you can make an online response here:
Make Work Pay: employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children
This is a Westminster consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Department for Business and Trade, Kate Dearden MP and The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP. The Government committed to review the implementation of employment rights for unpaid carers and to assess whether further support is needed to help unpaid carers balance work with their caring responsibilities.
In this consultation the Government are seeking views on the information and guidance that is available to support unpaid carers, the potential need for further support and what forms of support would be helpful for both unpaid carers and parents with a seriously ill child.
Siobhán will be making a Consortium response to this consultation highlighting the situation in Northern Ireland where there is currently no carer’s leave and the importance of improved rights for carers who are often women. If you would like to contribute to this consultation response please contact Siobhán at policy@wsn.org.uk as soon as possible.
The deadline to respond to this consultation is Tuesday 1st September 2026 and it is available to read here:
Call for evidence: How should the level of support offered by Universal Credit be decided?
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending the Need for Food Banks (APPG ENFB) at Westminster is inviting evidence for a new inquiry into how the level of support offered by Universal Credit is decided. The inquiry team want to better understand whether the current approach to setting levels of financial support from Universal Credit is fit for purpose, including its impact on food banks, local communities and employment. The inquiry will also explore the feasibility and potential merits of adopting an independent, evidence-based approach to setting Universal Credit, as well as the different options for doing so. The inquiry will primarily focus on the process to determine the levels of support offered by Universal Credit as the UK’s main working-age, means-tested social security benefit.
Siobhán will be making a response to this call for evidence using Consortium research on the impact of the rising costs of essentials on women’s ability to make ends meet. If you would like to contribute to this consultation response please contact Siobhán at policy@wsn.org.uk as soon as possible.
The deadline to respond to this call for evidence is Monday 7th September 2026 and it is available to read here:
https://www.trussell.org.uk/our-work/changing-policy/inquiry
