To ask the Minister of Health to detail when he will introduce a mandatory reporting duty for health professionals regarding female genital mutilation, in line with England and Wales.

Currently my department has no plans to introduce a mandatory reporting duty for health professionals regarding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), in line with England and Wales.

Healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland are already bound by both legal and professional obligations to report abuse. FGM is a serious criminal offence. Under section 5 of the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, any person who knows or believes that a relevant offence has been committed and has information likely to assist in the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of the offender is legally required to disclose that information to police. Failure to do so, without reasonable excuse, constitutes a criminal offence. In addition to this legal duty, health professionals must adhere to safeguarding policies and procedures such as “Multi-agency Practice Guidelines - Female Genital Mutilation” (accessible via https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/multi-agency-practice-guidelines-female-genital-mutilation-health) and the SBNI’s Regional Core Child Protection Policy and Procedures (accessible via https://www.proceduresonline.com/sbni ). These guidelines emphasise the duty to identify, assess, and respond to risk, including making referrals to social services or the PSNI where appropriate.