Court battles over definition of 'woman' costs Scottish Government more than £766,000

The Scottish Government has spent more than three-quarters of a million pounds fighting over the definition of a woman at the highest courts in Scotland and the UK.

In April, the UK Supreme Court unanimously sided with For Women Scotland and determined that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act refer to biological women and sex.

It has already affected how both governments and public bodies manage access to single-sex spaces like toilets and changing rooms.

Following the ruling, a court order was handed down demanding the Scottish Government – which lost the case – to pay for at least part of the campaign group’s court costs.

On Tuesday, For Women Scotland said it had a full and final settlement with Scottish Ministers and had received a total of £392,500.

£150,000 was paid for the Court of Session part of the case and £242,500 for the Supreme Court part.

The Scottish Government spent £766,498.80 on fighting the two judicial reviews – although For Women Scotland said this is expected to rise slightly.

For Women Scotland said it spent approximately £417,000 across both cases.

A spokesperson said the money would be used to cover the costs of another legal challenge against the Scottish Government over the policy around the housing of trans prisoners.