Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1125. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the draft legislation in relation to gender recognition for transgender persons aged 16 and 17 will be brought before Dáil Éireann; the progress made to date in relation to the other matters set out in the Programme for Government relating to this issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18745/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The relevant Programme for Government proposals supplied contain both legislative and non-legislative proposals.

Work commenced in relation to advancing the legislative process in relation to gender recognition those aged 16 and 17 years and other relevant measures at the start of 2020 but due to the dissolution of the last Dáil, the election and subsequent government-formation process, the completion of the transfer of functions process, as well as the focus on responding to the public health crisis, this work was paused.

Preliminary work also began early in 2020 in relation to the formation of an inter-departmental group to commence the non-legislative proposals but this was similarly delayed. Since then, the ongoing devotion of resources within the Department to the public health crisis and associated matters has meant that it has not yet been possible to further progress this work. However, the matter will be kept under review and the measures remain as part of the Programme for Government.

In the meantime, Government Departments and other public bodies will take positive steps to improve the position of non-binary people. This could include measures such as:

- promoting the use and acceptance of correct pronouns;

- improving the design of official forms and documentation to permit the use of a third gender option, or no gender at all, where it is possible to do so.

I hope this clarifies these matters.