The report of the group established to conduct a review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 was published in July 2018. Under legislative proposals to implement some of the recommendations contained in the report, there are no circumstances in which it will be permissible for a child to change gender without parental consent and the current minimum age for legal gender recognition will remain at 16 years.
Included in the legislative proposals are the following measures:
- Simplify the path to legal gender recognition for children aged 16/17 years by introducing an arrangement for self-declaration, with parental consent; a simple revocation process; and by making family mediation support available on a voluntary basis;
- Identify clearly on a gender recognition certificate for 16 and 17 year olds that it is awarded on the basis of self-declaration only. This is in order to bring greater clarity to the fact that legal gender recognition is separate and distinct from any question of medical intervention.
A number of other recommendations are more administrative in nature and are being implemented or will be progressed under Ireland’s National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019 – 2021.
The legislative proposals relating to children over 16 years, and the commissioning of research to examine issues of concern relating to children aged under 16 years, are included in the current Programme for Government.