Diane Dodds hit out at the Minister for making the announcement while the Assembly is on recess
DUP Health Spokesperson Diane Dodds(Image: Liam McBurney/PA Wire)
An MLA has called on health officials to explain the rationale behind funding for Transgender health services.
DUP Health spokesperson Diane Dodds has called for Department of Health officials to be summoned before the Health Committee to discuss funding announced by the Health Minister for Transgender health services.
Mrs Dodds was speaking after Belfast Live reported that the Department had allocated more than £800,000 to the Gender Identity Service within the Belfast Trust with the money set to be made available in the coming weeks.
The Brackenburn Clinic, Northern Ireland’s adult Gender Identity Clinic, has been functioning with severely restricted capacity for the past seven years owing to staffing shortages and financial limitations.
Mrs Dodds said the Health Minister’s decision to allocate £800,000 for a gender identity service reflects misplaced priorities at a time when our health service is in crisis.
“Patients are waiting years for treatment, GP services are overwhelmed, and cancer pathways are under immense strain. Yet the Minister has chosen to divert scarce resources into a service rooted not in medical necessity, but in a radical ideology.
“This move is even more concerning in light of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling which reaffirmed that biological sex is a legal and material reality. That ruling should guide public policy, not be ignored in favour of an ideology that denies biological truth.
“Mike Nesbitt frequently calls for more funding from the Executive, highlighting pressures across the system. But while pleading poverty publicly, he has found £800,000 to pursue a project that does not reflect the priorities or values of the majority of people in Northern Ireland. Moreover, beyond the headline and the financial cost, no details are provided as to how the service will operate and the principles it will adhere to, even on what age referrals can be made to this service.”
Diane Dodds accused the Minister of “slipping the announcement out during recess” and said that she has written to the Chair of Stormont’s Health Committee to request that officials are brought before the committee to provide details and a rationale for the spending.
“This is about priorities. The focus of our health service must be on evidence-based care and urgent frontline needs, not on embedding controversial ideology into service provision,” she said.
“The Minister should think again.”
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has welcomed investment.
The North Belfast MLA said: “This investment into services at Brackenburn Clinic is long overdue but will help ensure that trans people are able to access fit-for-purpose, timely and accessible medical care based on informed consent.
“This ongoing crisis has been detrimental to the mental health of both individuals and our LGBTQI+ community as a whole.
“We know that rates of suicide and poor mental health are already much higher amongst trans young people, something directly related to the absence of services.
“The trans community deserve and are entitled to rights-based, compassionate healthcare underpinned by the most up to date medical evidence.
“I urge the minister to ensure that the Brackenburn Clinic meets their needs.”
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