SEANAD REPORT:INDEPENDENT SENATOR Katherine Zappone said she was deeply concerned over the long delay in regularising the position of transgender people.

The situation caused severe distress to many of them, affecting their health, families and their jobs. The resolution recently adopted by the UN Human Rights Council specifically focused on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was now one year on from the government’s withdrawal of its appeal in regard to the High Court case taken by Dr Lydia Foy. The government had acknowledged it was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights because of its failure to provide for the issuing of new birth certificates to transgender people. Dr Foy had been on this legal journey for at least 14 years. “I hail her as a courageous, brave and persevering change-maker,” said Dr Zappone.

An interdepartmental group had been established to make recommendations for legislation required for legal recognition of the acquired gender of transsexuals, added Dr Zappone. She wanted to know when it would report to the Minister for Social Protection and if its findings would be made public.

David Norris (Ind) said he supported everything that Dr Zappone had outlined to the House.

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Employers should be given incentives to take people off the dole and social welfare recipients should be penalised if they failed to take offers of work, John Kelly (Lab) said. While social welfare rates were generous, he was not suggesting that they be cut. However, unfortunately, down through the years many bonuses had been given to people on social welfare. They were getting free travel and free electricity and probably rent allowance, mortgage subsidy, medical cards and so on.

This was making it difficult for some on social welfare to take up work.

“If the guy does not take the job, then his social welfare should be reduced by 5 per cent per year until such time as he finds work.”