AQO 86/17-22 Oral question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to outline the actions he is taking to depathologise trans healthcare to reflect recent changes to the World Health Organisation's classification of diseases and in international best practice.
Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 30 January 2020
- Answered
- Oral
- Answered in the Chamber
- Tabled
- 30 January 2020
- Answer due by
- 10 February 2020
- Answered
- 10 February 202011 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Answered in the Assembly Chamber on 10 February 2020. Extract from the Official Report (Hansard), including any supplementary questions:
Mr Swann
A review of gender identity services is under way to identify a new model of care for transgender and non-binary people in Northern Ireland. As part of that process, a gender identity service pathway review group has been established. Membership of the group includes officials from my Department, the Health and Social Care Board, the Public Health Agency, the Patient and Client Council, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and service users' representatives. The group is, of course, aware of the declassification of gender identity issues as mental health problems in the eleventh edition of the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, and it will be mindful of that when taking its work forward. The group is due to report on its findings and recommendations by June 2020. Trans and non-binary people also experience the same health problems as the rest of the population. Therefore, if their condition is unrelated to gender dysphoria or its treatment, they will be treated in the same way as any other patient with that condition.
Ms Armstrong
I am aware that there are representatives of trans persons on that review panel. However, the criteria to pick those people were never published. As we come out of New Decade, New Approach, and in light of civic engagement and public consultation, other organisations such as TransgenderNI may be involved in that review. Will the Minister meet TransgenderNI?
Mr Swann
I thank the Member for her supplementary. I will answer the last part first: I will invite a number of organisations to an LGBTQ+ round table at the end of March. To my knowledge, TransgenderNI is one of those organisations. In regard to her earlier point, organisations have been asked to identify to the Department what they want to discuss at that round table. If they make that a priority issue that they want to raise, we will consider it at that point.
Ms Ní Chuilín
I would be quite shocked if, at the meeting with TransgenderNI and others, the issue of conversion therapy, and the need to bring legislation forward to ban it, was not raised. Does the Minister have any plans to bring forward legislation to ban the inhumane practice of conversion therapy?
Mr Swann
I will be honest: this is the first time the issue has been raised with me in my time as Minister. If the issue is brought up at the round table, we will definitely consider it. As the Member has raised it today, I give her the commitment that we will put it in our work scope.
Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Beggs)
Question 5 has been withdrawn.