Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the implementation of the programme for Government commitments for gender recognition. [33807/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, contains a number of actions with respect to gender recognition. My Department is engaged in progressing these actions. The Government has approved the drafting of legislation to give effect to recommendations with respect the process of gender recognition for children aged 16 and 17. Research is being commissioned to inform policy options with respect to children aged under 19 and all Departments and public bodies have been asked to progress positive actions to give effect to the acceptable use of pronouns, improvements in the design and content 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, and to take any other positive steps to promote inclusiveness of person of all genders.

The Deputy will appreciate that some of the work being undertaken may result in proposals to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2015 which will be considered by Government in due course. I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.