Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 15
7th Report - Female genital mutilation
Published 12 Sep 2025
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Female genital mutilation (FGM) All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
To tackle FGM and be able to provide services based on need, the Government, local authorities and healthcare providers need to understand the prevalence of FGM within the UK. The most recent study on FGM prevalence in England and Wales was published in 2015 and was based on 2011 census data. It is a significant oversight that the Government lacks up-to-date information on the current prevalence of FGM nationwide and per locality. This gap undermines the Government’s, local authorities and healthcare providers’ ability to provide services to women in need. (Conclusion, Paragraph 49)
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 7th Report - Female genital mutilation (HC 714), 12 September 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 2 December 2025 (deadline 12 November 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government sets out existing and planned measures on FGM across health, policing, education, data and prosecution, while declining to comment on Home Office funding beyond March 2026 and stating that there are "currently no plans for future funding" for its flagship FCDO FGM programme after October 2026.
- On training, it says all healthcare staff must complete safeguarding training with a focus on FGM, and that an NHS e-learning FGM module is "currently being refreshed for publication in 2026".
- On reconstructive surgery research, it says "We agree this is an important area of research". The Department of Health and Social Care "aims to advertise a timeline" for a NIHR call by the end of this year.
- On funding, the Home Office says it "is currently unable to comment on spending beyond March 2026". The FCDO says its flagship programme concludes in October 2026, with "currently no plans for future funding".
- On prosecutions, the Home Office and Attorney General's Office "will" jointly convene a Ministerial roundtable with relevant departments, with prevention and prosecution "at the centre".