Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance in the Seanad this morning to discuss this issue. It is hugely important to the transgender community in Ireland, as well as their families, friends and supporters. Last year, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, became increasingly aware of the difficulties faced by the transgender community in accessing essential healthcare in Ireland. He listened to that community and in taking on board their concerns, he set up and established the national transgender healthcare steering committee in May 2019. The committee was made up of members of the advocacy group Transgender Equality Network Ireland, TENI, clinicians, psychiatrists, endocrinologists and representatives from both the HSE and the Department of Health.

The overarching objective of the committee was to present a report to the Minister on how to develop a seamless and integrated service for those who present with gender identity issues, with clear pathways of care in order that the needs of the patients and their families are placed at the centre of the delivery of those services. This report was completed earlier this year and was received by the Department of Health on 28 February, which was unfortunately just one day before the first case of Covid was discovered in this country. While focus on tackling the pandemic understandably delayed the examination and publication of the report's recommendations in the first few months, the fact that no movement whatsoever has happened in the interim months is hugely disheartening.

The HSE and the Department of Health have done fantastic work to make sure normal healthcare services have for the most part resumed, yet the report remains shelved. According to some of the members of the steering committee, it is worse than shelved; it appears to be lost. It is an extremely important and valuable document which was developed at the request of the Minister for Health and was then submitted to the Department. That it seems to have just disappeared is baffling. The HSE maintains that it was submitted to the Department but the Department and the Minister of State - not Deputy Feighan - believe the HSE is still working on it. This passing of the buck is not good enough. It is a very serious report with very serious recommendations and it needs and deserves immediate attention and action.

What is even more worrying is the lack of engagement between the Minister for Health's office and his own ministerial appointee to the committee since the formation of the Government in June. That appointee has made six attempts to communicate with the Minister, all of which have been ignored. That is the main reason I am standing in this Chamber today. It is a real pity.

Members of the transgender community need to know their voices are being heard. As the previous Minister gave them a platform to speak, I hope their voices will not fall on deaf ears. The report must be examined and published without delay and a plan to introduce the recommendations in the report must be put forward immediately. Obviously, no one here has seen the report but given the wealth of expertise, personally and professionally, of the people on the committee, I have absolutely no doubt that the recommendations would improve the services for our transgender community and that this Seanad and the Dáil will support them.

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of working in a personal capacity with the transgender community, with TENI, and with members of the trans community seeking employment, where they face huge discrimination. We are making progress but it is slow. Often, some of the issues we highlight and some of the recommendations we make get ignored and are marginalised by governments around the world. This Government needs to make huge strides to represent this community, as did the previous one. This is a small community but it is large in its heart and even larger in the impositions its members face every single day. The future of transgender healthcare in this country is unclear.The current haphazard provision of services to our young people who are struggling with their identity is unreliable and potentially unsustainable in its current format. Two years ago, the people made a decision not to export our citizens for healthcare to other countries and yet this year alone, we have sent more than 80 patients under 18 years of age to the UK for health. In the space of four months from November 2019 to February 2020, the waiting time went from 12 months to 24 months. This issue is critical and needs an immediate response.

Has the Minister received the report? Has it been read? Has it been actioned? If not, when will it be actioned?