Fine Gael TD and former justice minister Charlie Flanagan has asked the Minister for Health to establish an independent inquiry into Irish children who were referred to the Tavistock clinic in the UK for psychological assessment and support with gender identity issues.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Flanagan said that revised figures show that there were 240 referrals from Ireland to the clinic over 14 years.
He said that of these, 58 were for children 16 years and older and 182 were 15 years or younger.
Mr Flanagan said that twice as many girls as boys were referred.
Some children who attend the clinic go on to be treated with hormone blockers under the supervision of their doctors.
🚨 Tavistock Centre has revised figures on Irish children. There were 240 referrals over 14 years. Of these 58 were 16+ &182 were 15 years or younger. Twice as many girls than boys were referred. I have asked Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to set up an independent enquiry. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/y6uCgmOI4u
— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) February 14, 2023
In 2020, a review was commissioned into the Tavistock service in the UK and conducted by Dr Hilary Cass, after whistleblowers alleged that the clinic was failing to give sufficient weight to patients' mental health history.
Her interim report said that the current model of care was leaving young people at considerable risk of poor mental health and having one clinic was not a safe or viable long-term option.
The HSE continues to refer patients to Tavistock, despite concerns raised in recent years by senior clinicians in Ireland, who last year also called on Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to set up an investigation into the use of the clinic by the HSE.
The HSE has said previously that the service has not been deemed not safe and it monitors the service extremely closely and the HSE has been exploring other options.
It said today that Dr Cass met a wide range of stakeholders from the HSE, the Department of Health and service providers, regarding transgender services, children's services and mental health at Dr Steevens’ Hospital in Dublin last Thursday.
It said that a very constructive and informative discussion took place around the Interim Cass Report in the UK and the challenges in developing a gender service in Ireland, despite limited availability of data and evidence on which to base the clinical approach.
The HSE said the meeting will help inform the next steps, in developing a programme of work to provide a model of care and service supports to develop the best possible gender service in Ireland, based on evolving evidence and best practice.
