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A decision on whether gay men in NI should be able to donate blood should be a devolved matter, the Department of Health in England has said.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has begun a legal appeal after a judge ruled it was up to him to decide if gay men could donate blood in NI. The ban was lifted in Britain in 2011.
The judge said NI's Health Minister Edwin Poots' ban was "irrational".
Mr Poots has also begun a legal challenge to the ruling.
In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson said: "Men who have sex with men have been able to donate blood in England since November 2011. We believe that any decision on this issue in Northern Ireland is a matter for its devolved government and ministers.
"We are appealing against the judgement on the basis of the implications for devolution, not on the issue of men who have sex with men donating blood itself."
Earlier, the Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham called on Mr Hunt to explain his position on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26872539
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has begun a legal appeal after a judge ruled it was up to him to decide if gay men could donate blood in NI. The ban was lifted in Britain in 2011.
The judge said NI's Health Minister Edwin Poots' ban was "irrational".
Mr Poots has also begun a legal challenge to the ruling.
In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson said: "Men who have sex with men have been able to donate blood in England since November 2011. We believe that any decision on this issue in Northern Ireland is a matter for its devolved government and ministers.
"We are appealing against the judgement on the basis of the implications for devolution, not on the issue of men who have sex with men donating blood itself."
Earlier, the Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham called on Mr Hunt to explain his position on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26872539