 The effect of Brexit on the Irish border and the slow progress of talks to restore the Northern Ireland executive both served as reasons for amending the bill to provide for reports to parliament.In Northern Ireland, LGBT rights lagged behind the rest of the United Kingdom, due to the petition of concern motion available to the socially-conservative and evangelical Democratic Unionist Party.As a result, same-sex marriages were not performed or recognised by the government in Northern Ireland and there remained gaps in legal protection for transgender individuals.