"I am delighted that common sense has prevailed on the issue of the use of puberty blockers for children," said Lockhart. "In my recent interview on Nolan and across the media, I highlighted the potential long term damaging effects of these treatments, particularly on the most vulnerable young people in our society, as per a recent independent report."

She emphasised the importance of recognising the findings of the Independent Review of gender identity services for children and young people, chaired by Dr Hilary Cass as commissioned by the previous UK Government. The Cass review raised significant concerns about the use of puberty blockers on children. "It is time all parties at Stormont do the right thing by our children by accepting and adopting these findings. It is deeply concerning that some political parties, since the Cass Report appear to have doubled-down on their support for puberty blockers as a treatment for children in Northern Ireland and the fact that no ban here would leave Northern Ireland as a back door for access to such drugs across the UK”.

Ms Lockhart views this decision as a significant victory for safeguarding children and ensuring their well-being is prioritised whilst receiving medical treatments. "This is a good result which strengthens medical safeguarding standards for our children. We must ensure that safe and effective treatments are used without fear or deference to any social ideologies.”