Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Regarding contraception services, have adequate measures been taken to protect the access to pharmacy premises? Can more be done? Has any action has been taken by others outside the system to discourage people or to highlight people's attendance? Anybody who attends a doctor, a pharmacist or any other body for that matter has the right to attend anonymously. They should not have to salute or kowtow to any other organisations outside once the law of the land has been observed. While people might say they have the right to protest, it is not to the extent that it impedes access to a service, whatever that service may be. I would like to hear the witnesses' comments on that.

I will follow that up with a question on emergency services and the degree to which pharmacists have seen the development of the contraception services in recent years with particular reference to the safety factor. One of the things we dealt with some years ago when the Bill was introduced was the need to ensure that early focus was put on the person who may have a need - a pregnant person with blood pressure problems or whatever the case may be - so that action was taken quickly rather than allow things to drift. Those are two questions for anybody.