This afternoon in the Dáíl session in a welcome development, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called for the publication of the long-delayed and misplaced Trans Healthcare report & implementation of the report recommendations. He said: 

“A lot has happened since March and a lot of normal activity in terms of the way government departments are operating and so on has been put on hold in some departments, but that in itself is not an excuse for the failure to publish this very important report.”

Martin said he will “follow up” on why there has been a delay in publication. He also committed to publishing the report and ensuring an implementation plan for its recommendation will be put in place.

Noah Halpin, the Minister for Health’s appointed representative to this committee, had previously gone public with the mishandling of the report responded to the development explaining  “I welcome the Taoiseach’s call to action on the publication of this report and the implementation of the recommendations made by the Transgender Healthcare Steering Committee.”

He continues, “However, it is extremely regrettable that despite a three-year-long waiting list for transgender healthcare services in Ireland and an 11-month delay in the publication of this report, it was left to the trans community to investigate the location and status of this very important report. And I certainly would follow up on that, and ensure publication or at least find out why it hasn’t been published … and get it published but also then, along with publication, an implementation plan to be put in place in terms of the recommendations.”

He cautions that  “it is extremely regrettable that despite a three-year-long waiting list for transgender healthcare services in Ireland and an 11-month delay in the publication of this report, it was left to the trans community to investigate the location and status of this Government established committee report. If it were not for the fact that I made the mishandling of this report public, I do not expect that the Department of Health would have made any meaningful effort to locate or progress the recommendations of the committee.”

Halpin concluded his Twitter thread with a strong message for the community explaining that this process  “in many ways mirrors the trans communities experience within our healthcare system, having to always be our own advocates. Keep this public and don’t give the Department of Health an opportunity to go quiet again. No more delays. Publish the report! Implement recommendations!”