Equalities chief Liz Truss has suggested a cautious approach towards the kind of treatment available to transgender children and young people. 

The postponed Gender Recognition Act was one of the items on her agenda when addressing the Women and Equalities Select Committee on Wednesday. 

She said that the Government would be issuing its plan of action in the summer following a 2018 consultation on reforms to the law to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. 

At present, trans people must be medically diagnosed with gender dysphoria and prove they have lived in their acquired gender for two years. 

The Government is proposing to introduce gender self-identification, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. 

Ms Truss said it was "extremely important" that single-sex spaces are protected. 

Another priority for the Government, she said, was "making sure that transgender adults are free to live their lives as they wish without fear of persecution, whilst maintaining the proper checks and balances in the system". 

She closed her comments by saying that a third "very important" principle guiding the Government's response to the consultation was the protection of children and young people from "irreversible" decisions. 

"Finally, which is not a direct issue concerning the Gender Recognition Act, but is relevant, [is] making sure that the under 18s are protected from decisions that they could make, that are irreversible in the future," she said.

"I believe strongly that adults should have the freedom to lead their lives as they see fit, but I think it's very important that while people are still developing their decision-making capabilities that we protect them from making those irreversible decisions.

"Of course some of these policies have been delayed, Chair, by the specific issues around Covid but I can assure you that alongside the Covid work, our officials continue to do those things to make them happen."