I join colleagues in welcoming our two new Senators. I am breaking the secrecy of the ballot in saying that I voted number one for both of them. It is really a lovely feeling to have two winners on the same day. They are both very talented people. Of course, we already know of the Lawlor family with its great tradition of hospitality in County Kildare. I would like to speak particularly about Senator Marshall because I think he made a very important point. There have been unionist voices here before and I remember them with great affection and admiration. They included Gordon Wilson, John Robb and people like that. They added a great deal, but they were Taoiseach's nominees. This is the first time that a unionist from Northern Ireland has been elected to this Seanad. This is a wonderful and historic day.

The next issue I wish to raise is the very obnoxious habit some people have developed of putting these vast photographs of aborted foetuses up against the walls of Leinster House. It does not bother me. I remember during a previous referendum campaign a woman came up to me, stuck a photograph under my nose and asked what I thought of it.

I said "I think it is perfectly charming madam, I presume it is a family photograph".

I mention the intrusion of these sort of people. Today I gather they were at the Rotunda Hospital-----

And Holles Street.

-----and Holles Street. I mention very vulnerable women. There was a woman who was voting no and she was devastated by this. It is absolutely disgusting and it should be stopped. The person promoting it was a fellow with a very strong South African accent. One could put up a photograph of an open heart operation at a heart clinic but it would not do much good because all of these surgical procedures are pretty disgusting.

I want to raise an urgent matter and I would like to ask the Leader if he could clarify something for me.

The Senator is practically out of time.

Only practically. I will be very quick.

Now he has just gone over it.

The Minister of State with responsibility for health promotion, Deputy Catherine Byrne, talking in the Dáil about transgender issues said "transgender specific guidelines developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, WPATH", internationally recognised best practice people, would provide the framework for the situation. Full implementation of this would lead to a great widening of the number of clinicians involved and really attack the terrible waiting lists she said. However, and this is the conflict, Dr. Paul Moran, a liaison psychiatrist who plays a central role in treating people in the Dublin clinic says that these guidelines "as they apply to assessment and treatment recommendations are not part of our model of care, are clinically unsafe, and unsuitable for use". Professor Donal O'Shea says that these guidelines are "very lax... their application would lead to a significant regret rate" and this statement completely contradicts Deputy Catherine Byrne's assertion. He goes on to say, and this is my final comment: "We don't intend to run the service in line with WPATH guidelines." Who is telling the truth here? Is it the Minister of State who is politically in charge or will it be at the whim of clinicians? We really need to clarify this. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his indulgence.