Puberty Suppressants Trial

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, I begin by thanking the Government for their sensitive language in handling this delicate issue. I recall the noble Baroness, Lady Cass, telling the House that puberty blockers are currently licensed only for much younger children with precocious puberty or older adults with certain cancers. Trials are therefore needed to determine whether they are safe for adolescents with gender incongruence and to understand the interaction with the different processes of puberty. I understand that children taking part in the trials must have their parents’ consent, but can the Minister clarify two points that are clearly raising concern? First, what is the maximum and minimum age of children taking part in these trials? Secondly, what assurances can the Government definitively give that children taking part in these trials will not experience fertility issues or loss of sexual function or any conditions that are irreversible later in life? I also wish all noble Lords, staff and officials a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy new year and, as our American cousins say, happy holidays.

[The Parliamentary Under-secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for acknowledging the sensitive language. This is indeed a sensitive issue. For all the division and divided opinion that I know there is, there is also a determination—including across the House, I am sure—that we get this right. The clinical trial is just part of the PATHWAYS study. With regard to the clinical trial, it is extremely unlikely that anyone under the age of 11 will qualify as a potential participant and it runs up to the 16th birthday, so I hope that that is helpful. Can the noble Lord remind me of his second question?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

What assurance can be given so that any health developments under these trials are not irreversible?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord. Before participants enter the trial—and it is an extremely high bar, as it should be; there will be at least 226 participants required, but that is not a target and there will be no drive to get up to that number—certainly any possible impacts such as those the noble Lord describes will be fully discussed and mitigations will be explained and made available, particularly in terms of fertility. I absolutely take the point that the noble Lord raises.