Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

More than a year has passed since the Dáil accepted on Second Stage my Bill to outlaw rogue crisis pregnancy agencies. In March 2017 officials of the Department of Health met representatives of the Labour Party and gave a firm commitment to consider an alternative approach, namely, the regulation of all counsellors giving advice on pregnancies. The regulations were to be placed before the Dáil before the summer recess, but nothing has happened since. I have raised this matter on a couple of occasions in the meantime and it has been referred to the Minister for Health, but nothing concrete has happened. Last week the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eight Amendment heard further evidence of the ongoing abuse by some individuals purporting to give independent counselling advice. When will this matter be addressed and when will we see the regulations that we were promised?

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