Health Services: Gender Recognition
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the written statement on 26 February 2026 titled Data Linkage Study, what is his expected timeframe for research and ethics approval.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Important final steps are currently being taken to enable the data linkage study to begin, including the laying of an updated statutory instrument, or Order, to provide appropriate legal protections for those individuals and organisations who will be sharing or processing data for the specific purpose of the study, that are potentially subject to the specific protections of the Gender Recognition Act 2004. In parallel, refreshed research approvals are currently being sought from the Health Research Authority (HRA). The HRA provides independent scrutiny and approval of research studies, with the outcome of the data linkage study’s application expected in the next few weeks. Both the new order and HRA study approvals will need to be in place before the study, including data sharing, can begin.
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