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

I am disappointed. Like my colleagues I do not want to put an age on when a person is entitled to gender recognition. It is a shame. I received a letter sent from the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, stating he has proposed two further amendments to the Bill. The letter states:

Dear Joan

Following our recent discussions, I promised to come back to you with proposals regarding the Gender Recognition Bill which you are taking through the Oireachtas at present.. I welcome the recent amendments you have proposed, including making the process much less complex for those aged over 18. In the note attached, you will see that I propose two further improvements - one to add general practitioners to the list of medical professionals under section 12(4) of the Bill for those in the 16-17 age cohort, and a second to provide that the promised review of the legislation will specifically consider the needs of persons aged under 16 years.

I do not know what are the dynamics here. We should seriously look at this because young people should have a say. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs recently brought out a national strategy on children and young people's participation in decision-making and their voices should be heard much more strongly in the legislation.

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