Alliance MLA Andrew Muir has expressed his disappointment that the Assembly mandate has ended without any legal Conversion Therapy Ban.

The MLA has said that if re-elected he will bring forward his own Private Members Bill on this issue, after recently asking the Communities Minister to outline reasons for the delay, only to be met by a range of reasons as to why no progress has yet been made.

Speaking after the finale day of the Assembly, he said: “Conversion Therapy is deeply harmful which must be outlawed without delay, but nearly a year after the Assembly voted in favour of a Ban I am bitterly disappointed we end the Assembly mandate without even a consultation being commenced on legislative proposals to criminalise these harmful practices.

“The fact that a dedicated staff resource to take forward a ban was only put in place from January 2022 just adds to concern that the focus and priority given to this does not match the urgency needed to end the harm being perpetrated.

“If the delays from the Department for Communities continue and I am elected back to the Assembly on May 5, it would be my intention to consult upon my own Private Members Bill to Ban Conversion Therapy. We cannot continue to postpone action to stop the harm being inflicted upon LGBT+ people.”