Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for giving me this opportunity to update the House on this matter, which is one of the Government's top priorities for action this year. The report of the working group on access to contraception, published in October 2019, identified the barriers that exist to accessing contraception. These barriers include accessibility, information, health system capacity and, for a significant number of women who may be just above the eligibility threshold for a full medical or GP visit card, cost. Following the recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the findings of the Department of Health's working group on access to contraception, the 2020 programme for Government commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with those aged from 17 to 25.

The decision to prioritise this cohort was based on research, summarised in the working group's report, showing that women aged from 17 to 25 are most likely to experience a crisis pregnancy, and are also least likely to have independent financial means. A significant number of these women are still in full-time education and dependent on parents and guardians for income, some of whom may not be willing or, indeed, able to fund prescription contraception. The barriers to accessing the most effective forms of contraception are, for this cohort in particular, likely to be exacerbated by current inflation rates and the consequent rise in the cost of living.

The Department of Health's contraception implementation group was convened last year and has been working with partners, including the HSE, towards ensuring the scheme will commence in the third quarter of this year. Funding of approximately €9 million has been allocated for this in budget 2022. The scheme will provide for the cost of prescription contraception; the cost of medical appointments to discuss and prescribe suitable contraception; the cost of fitting and removal of long-acting reversible contraception, for example, implants and coils, plus any necessary checks; and the cost of training and certifying more doctors to fit and remove long-acting reversible contraception, such as the implant or coil. The wide range of prescription contraceptives currently available to medical card holders will also be available through this scheme, including contraceptive injections, implants, coils, the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of the pill, including emergency contraception.

The scheme will be open to all aged 17 to 25 who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. Formal contract discussions with medical representative bodies are ongoing with regard to service provision and the legal framework for the scheme is also being progressed. My response has probably answered two of the Deputy's three questions. I am not entirely sure about the third question on legislation and regulation, but I can come back to the Deputy on this.

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