Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

The Labour Party has a very strong tradition in this area. I am the only remaining Member who was a Cabinet Minister in the Government that brought in the Gender Recognition Act 2015, although my party colleague Deputy Nash was a Minister of State attending Cabinet. The Minister has spoken. Words are one thing but it has now been ten years and actions are now far more important than words to many people across this country who are in real need of compassion, support and a pathway to healthcare to help them. To speak frankly, what is going on in our country in this area is not compassionate.

The pathways we all hear about through our work with a great many people, including some of those in the Gallery, and the stories we hear from them are simply not acceptable. The way trans people are being treated in healthcare, the inconsistency in that treatment, the invasive way in which they are being questioned, the process they have to go through to get healthcare, those abroad having to start the process of invasive questioning all over again, and, as my colleague has mentioned, the issues that arise when people change healthcare professional are all completely wrong. The inconsistency, the lack of decency and the manner in which people are being treated really need to change in a fundamental way.

To put it simply, the national gender service is not fit for purpose. That needs to be said. It needs to be completely and utterly changed. In our country, those who are strong enough will fight and go through this current system, but those who are not strong enough will not. That is a huge issue. While supports to help people are provided through various organisations, through ourselves and so on, many people will unfortunately just not face into it. There is another very pertinent point that needs to be made. If you have financial well-being and capacity, you may be able to get through this a lot more easily than those who do not. In a republic, that is also unacceptable. While I welcome the Minister's words, I have to tell her straight that she will be judged by her actions and not by her words.

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