The new Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman says children under 16 should be able to change their gender with simply the consent of their parents or guardians and of a GP.

The Programme for Government had made a commitment to “Commence research to examine arrangements for children under 16” who may want to change gender. It also promised laws to make it easier for 16 and 17-year-olds to legally change their sex.

Mr O’Gorman is ready to go further and said a review group had carried out work on the Gender Recognition Act.

“They brought forward proposals for children under 16. Right now, if they want to initiate a gender change, they have to get kind of high-level medical consultants to actually sign off on that. Whereas the recommendation is to make that easier to allow a GP basically to sign off to say yes.”

He said he supported implementing the review group findings, adding: “In an area like this, you should be led by expert advice.”

There was no medical expert in the group that wrote the review.