Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar MS has called on the Welsh Government to urgently issue guidance to schools in Wales to guarantee single-sex facilities for pupils, following the Scottish Government’s decision to require separate toilets for boys and girls.

Mr Millar said:

“The Scottish Government has finally recognised the importance of protecting single-sex spaces for girls in schools – and it is about time that Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay did the same.

For more than a year, the Welsh Government has been ‘thinking’ about how to define what a woman is, yet it has ducked making a decision. Meanwhile, girls across Wales continue to be left without the clarity and protections they deserve.

Our young people should be able to learn in safe environments with facilities that respect their privacy, dignity and rights. That means single-sex toilets, changing rooms, and sports where appropriate.

We all want schools to be compassionate places where every child feels supported – but that must never come at the expense of girls’ rights. The Labour Government must stop dithering and issue clear guidance for Welsh schools without further delay.”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Children, Young People and Education, Natasha Asghar MS, added:

“Parents across Wales will rightly expect schools to safeguard the privacy and dignity of their daughters. Girls deserve reassurance that their rights are being respected, and that means access to single-sex toilets and changing rooms. The Welsh Government’s refusal to act is letting them down.”

She continued:

“The Scottish Government has been forced to listen to parents and to the courts. Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay should do the same and put the rights and wellbeing of pupils first. Clear guidance must be issued without delay to ensure that every school in Wales is a safe and respectful environment for all children.”