Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

We will now have very progressive legislation for those aged over 18. Transgender children aged 11, 12 or 13 in primary or secondary school will still be trying to deal with the gender difficulty they have if they are not recognised within the school education system, etc. The groups met the Minister for Education and Skills and there was an openness to discuss the matter with a view to putting protocols in place. What is the Minister of State saying here? Is he giving a commitment that the roundtable discussion, which were supposed to have taken place, will take place? When will those discussions involving civil society groups take place? I find it very difficult to agree with legislation that leaves an entire group of young people out in the cold.