Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices on the care of gender distressed children of the US judgment in the case of Fox Varian.

No assessment has been made. Surgical interventions for gender dysphoria are not performed on patients under 18 years old on the National Health Service. In line with NHS England’s national service specification, surgical interventions on the NHS are only available to adult patients who have a clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist adult gender clinic, and who meet strict clinical criteria.

The Government and NHS England have made a clear commitment to implement all the recommendations in the Cass Review’s final report. NHS England’s ambitious action plan sets out how it will continue to transform and improve services, helping to tackle waiting lists while ensuring safe and holistic care.