TUV and DUP urge outright ban on puberty blockers - NHS and private - in Northern Ireland

In one of his first acts as a new TUV MLA, Timothy Gaston has written an open letter to Mike Nesbitt, the health minister, calling for such a ban to be put in force "to bring us into line with the rest of the UK".

This was echoed by Carla Lockhart, DUP MP.

"Puberty blockers" is the general name for drugs which are often given to teenagers and pre-teens who declare themselves to be transgender.

The idea is to stop boys going through adolescence and becoming men, on the basis that inside they are really female (or vice-versa).

Transgender campaigners refer to the drugs – and to the surgery that often follows - as "gender-affirming healthcare".

Opponents believe such medical interventions should be criminal for minors.

Puberty blockers were given out to children on the NHS in Northern Ireland from 2014 until 2020, when the practice stopped.

In GB, the NHS stopped giving out puberty blockers this spring, then last month their use by private providers was banned too.

However it is understood that, in Northern Ireland, the drugs can still be obtained privately.

In his letter to the health minister on Thursday, Mr Gaston, the TUV MLA for North Antrim (replacing Jim Allister, who is now an MP), said: "I write to ask that you bring forward plans to bring us into line with the rest of the United Kingdom and ban these dangerous and damaging drugs in Northern Ireland.

"As you will be aware, the review by Dr Hilary Cass [in her April report] recommended 'extreme caution' in relation to puberty blockers, described the evidence base for the use of the drugs as 'weak' and highlighted a 'lack of high-quality evidence' for the use of the drugs…

"Please explain why the department has not already come to a conclusion about these dangerous, life-altering drugs and when you intend to bring forward proposals which will see Northern Ireland’s young people protected and remove the potential for our Province to become a back door to undermine the ban in Great Britain."

Meanwhile Carla Lockhart accused the department of doing a ”u-turn” on its earlier position of an outright ban.

"The DUP supports a ban to ensure Northern Ireland is not left behind the rest of the UK on this issue,” she said.

"We urge the Minister of Health to ask the Government to extend this ban right across the UK to ensure those intent on exploiting availability in Northern Ireland are foiled, and that local young people and children are afforded the same protection as elsewhere in the UK.”

The department itself told the News Letter: “This is a complex issue and the decision as to whether these provisions will apply in Northern Ireland is a significant and cross-cutting one for the executive to consider.

"The health minister and his department are giving full consideration to the legal and policy implications of any extension to Northern Ireland so that the Executive can make a fully informed decision on this matter.

"If a permanent ban is to be put in place, this will be subject to consultation.”