Assembly speaker Edwin Poots seeks to 'correct the record' on transgender clinic
The speaker of the NI Assembly Edwin Poots has issued what he described as a “personal statement” concerning the Province’s transgender clinic.
It follows swipes made by the UUP towards the DUP on the floor of the Assembly yesterday over the issue, whilst Mr Poots was chairing proceedings.
Health minister Mike Nesbitt and fellow UUP MLA Alan Chambers accused the party of trying to distance itself from its own record on transgenderism, saying that the trans clinic was established with DUP support in 2014, and that the party raised no objections to either a recent £806,000 increase in funding, nor to Northern Irish children participating in a UK-wide trial of puberty blocking drugs (something which has since been suspended).
As speaker, Mr Poots has often declined to comment on topical matters because he must be seen to be above the political fray.
His statement after the Assembly session last night – titled ‘Correcting the record’ – was not issued by the party press office, but on his personal Facebook page.
In it, he said: “It is highly unusual for me to issue a personal statement, given the requirement on me as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly to maintain a neutral position on political matters before the Assembly.
"This statement is therefore exceptional and, I hope, will not need to be repeated.
"In August last year, controversy arose regarding a Gender Identity Clinic established by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
"At that time, the Ulster Unionist Party implied that a previous DUP Health Minister may have had involvement in its establishment.
"In response, my office submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Health seeking all papers, correspondence and related records.
"The Department confirmed that it held no information whatsoever in relation to me and the establishment of such a clinic.
"This confirmed my position that I had no involvement at any stage in the establishment of a Gender Identity Clinic.
"In light of inaccurate commentary circulating online, I believe it is appropriate, in the interests of clarity and public confidence, to clarify the record.
"For the avoidance of doubt, I had no role whatsoever in the establishment of a Gender Identity Clinic, nor was I informed of its establishment.
"My focus at that time was on reducing waiting lists and tackling major health priorities, including cancer and cardiac disease.
"Decisions regarding this issue are a matter for the current Health Minister.
"There should be no attempt to deflect from those decisions by falsely suggesting that previous Ministers had any role in establishing such a service.”
Last summer, Mr Poots had said that while he was health minister (from 2011 to 2014) he “was never briefed, had sight of, or give approval for the Gender Identity Service”.