Publication
Legal strategies to tackle fraud in early-stage investments in Asia
In the wake of the recent eFishery scandal early-stage investors are recalibrating their approach to due diligence and risk tolerance.
United Kingdom | Publication | April 2025
In For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, the Supreme Court unanimously held that the definitions of “man”, “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a person’s biological sex. A Gender Recognition Certificate recognising a person’s gender as female does not bring them within the statutory definition of a “woman”.
Although the judgment means that “woman” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex at birth, the Court was careful to emphasise that transgender people are still protected against discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment, which is a protected characteristic under equality law. This applies whether or not they hold a Gender Recognition Certificate.
Those holding a Gender Recognition Certificate also retain privacy rights, and the use of any information about their previous gender is protected in the workplace as special data. The Court’s decision does not change that position.
The impact of the decision on employers and pension schemes
The ruling is limited to a specific point on the definition of “woman” in the Equality Act but it does not change an employer’s obligations in the workplace regarding behaving fairly and equitably in the treatment of those who are transgender.
However, while the judgment provides clarity on the law, the jury is still out on its practical impact.
It is unlikely that the decision will be significant in terms of scheme funding as the proportion of members with Gender Recognition Certificates is comparatively low, with fewer than 9,000 Certificates issued in the UK by June 2024.
There is a possible issue on the interpretation of some scheme rules relating to survivor benefits in relation to trans women. For instance, if a death benefit rule is based on defined terms of “wife” and “woman” and those definitions do not include transgender partners, a survivor with a Gender Recognition Certificate may not be eligible for the benefit. While survivor benefit rules expressed in this way tend to appear predominantly in public sector schemes, trustees of private workplace schemes should check their relevant provisions nevertheless.
For further analysis of the decision see the blog from our employment team.
Publication
In the wake of the recent eFishery scandal early-stage investors are recalibrating their approach to due diligence and risk tolerance.
Publication
As we stand on the cusp of transformative change within the energy sector, anticipation builds around the UK government’s impending decision on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). This briefing provides a recap of the proposals made to date and looks at the potential future impact of the REMA proposals on market players.
Publication
Following the launch of the new Electricity Law on 30 November 2024, which took effect on 1 February 2025 (Electricity Law 2024), Decision No. 768/QD-TTg (Decision 768) issued on 15 April 2025 by the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved the revised National Power Development Plan VIII (PDP 8) for the period 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050. This decision replaces the previous Decision No. 500/QD-TTg, dated 15 May 2023.
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