The Scottish Government has been accused of being more concerned with “holding together their fragile pact with the dogmatic Greens” than the healthcare of vulnerable young people, according to the Scottish Conservatives, as the government outlined its response to the Cass review.

It comes as the minister for public health, Jenny Minto, appeared before the Scottish Parliament and said it was right that young trans people and their families were the first to hear of a temporary ban on puberty blockers, rather than elected representatives.

Following the publishing of Dr Hilary Cass’ report, which studied gender identity services for young people in England and which provided recommendations for the NHS in England, the Scottish Government has faced demands to follow the UK Government in implementing the recommendations.

The Sandyford clinic in Glasgow is Scotland's only facility for trans young people. Picture: John Devlin

At Holyrood, Ms Minto faced repeated questions from opposition politicians as to the Scottish Government’s position on Dr Cass’ recommendations.

Among the report’s 32 recommendations are a call for gender services to operate “to the same standards” as other health services for children and young people, with “a holistic assessment” of people referred, including screening for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, and a mental health assessment.

England’s health service is urged to review its policy on giving children masculinising or feminising hormones from the age of 16, urging “extreme caution”.

Dr Cass, a retired consultant paediatrician, said there “should be a clear clinical rationale for providing hormones at this stage rather than waiting until an individual reaches 18”.

Ms Minto told the chamber that the Scottish Government is taking the report into consideration, but stressed that Dr Cass’ review investigated gender identity services in England, and as such the recommendations were tailored to England’s healthcare system, not Scotland’s.

The minister for public health added that “it is not for politicians nor civil servants to make clinical decisions about clinical pathways”, and that “these decisions should always be made carefully, based in the best evidence available and be made only by clinicians responsible for providing such care”.

Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, Dame Jackie Baillie, told the Scottish Parliament she must “register my disappointment at the lack of substance” contained with Ms Minto’s ministerial statement.

"The Cass report is a four year long piece of work that is evidence based informed by expert clinicians and by those with lived experience so it deserves to be treated seriously. Yet this statement feels more like a sop to the greens to keep the Bute House agreement alive.”

Both NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian, where Scotland’s two gender identity clinics are located, have announced a temporary halt on prescribing puberty blockers to young trans people while a pilot study in England is carried out.

The pause will not affect the small number of young people in Scotland, who are currently prescribed puberty blockers for gender dysphoria, which numbers around 70, nor the much larger number of children prescribed puberty blockers for precocious puberty.

Ms Minto added it was “absolutely correct” that NHSGGC and NHS Lothian “took time to speak to all the young people who be impacted by this”.

“I’m sure everyone in this chamber will agree with me that if this was happening to their loved one, that is exactly what they would want and expect to happen,” Ms Minto said.

In a question to Ms Minto, the Scottish Green’s Gillian Mackay said: “Many young people will be concerned about the effect of last week's decision to pause the prescription of hormones on their healthcare journey, and our solidarity should be with them. We need to work as quickly as possible to ensure that the concerns of the clinicians are resolved so that they can provide this care with confidence.”

Ms Mackay also called for the Scottish Government to follow the suggestion of the charity Scottish Trans, which said Scotland could set up its own research study.

Speaking after the ministerial statement, Ms Mackay added: “The last few weeks have been really hard for a lot of LGBTQ+ people, and trans people in particular. They are seeing their rights being treated like a political football.

“We have worked closely with the Scottish Government to ensure that our focus is on finding a way through the current issues, including the pause, and on delivering long-term sustainable funding for gender identity services.”

Scottish Conservative deputy leader, Meghan Gallacher, said: “This sorry excuse for a ministerial statement will offer no comfort to families who have been failed by gender care services in Scotland – because the Scottish Government’s direction of travel on this vital issue remains as clear as mud.

“As well as passing the buck to the health board for the decision to pause puberty blockers to new patients, this statement does not confirm whether the government will implement any of the 32 Cass review recommendations, nor does it address the cut to gender care services.

“This nationalist coalition claims that it supports young people experiencing gender distress, yet members of its own government have publicly dismissed the findings of an evidence-based, expert report.

“Today’s exercise in kicking the can down the road and stalling for more time, shows that the SNP are more concerned with holding together their fragile pact with the dogmatic Greens, than the healthcare of vulnerable young people.

“Parents and young people need a meaningful response to Cass, and an assurance that ministers will follow the science, rather than ideology.”

Cass gender report: Scottish Government defends decision to inform young people of puberty blockers pause before public

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