Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to block NHS-backed trials of puberty blockers in gender questioning children.

The Government is committed to supporting research that delivers a more robust, evidence-based understanding of gender incongruence support and treatment, especially for children and young people.

The Cass Review received cross-party support and highlighted remaining significant gaps in clinical evidence. The PATHWAYS study positively responds to the Cass Review’s recommendation that a trial of puberty suppressing hormones should be taken forward urgently as part of a wider programme of research.

Like any clinical trial, the PATHWAYS trial will only proceed subject to research approvals that follow expert ethical, scientific, and clinical advice.

The safety and wellbeing of children and young people have always been the driving consideration in every decision we have made regarding this trial and always will be.