Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which is very timely in light of everything that has gone on in US. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, sends his apologies. I am taking the matter on his behalf and I will read out his exact script if that is okay.

It is important that we acknowledge the very upsetting situations faced and difficult decisions made by the people behind these statistics, and the very sad circumstances that surround these terminations of pregnancy. As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act permits terminations to be carried out in cases where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of a pregnant woman; where there is a condition present likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth; and without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Expanded termination of pregnancy services commenced on 1 January 2019 and are provided through participating doctors and hospitals throughout the country. However, I am aware that statistics reported by the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK showed that women with Irish addresses continued to access termination of pregnancy services in that jurisdiction in 2021.

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I assure the Deputy that it is a priority for my Department that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is fully implemented and is performing as it should be to enable all women in Ireland to access services quickly and easily without bias or judgment. There has been a substantial reduction in the number of people with Irish resident addresses availing of termination of pregnancy services in the UK since the enactment of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 and the commencement of services. There is regular ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to facilitate the operation of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise. We will continue to ensure the positive rolling out and enhancement of these healthcare services.

Four years ago, the Irish people voted decisively to change the Constitution and give the Legislature responsibility to regulate termination of pregnancy services. The people voted in the knowledge of the legislative proposals that would be progressed to deliver on this outcome. In line with the statutory and Government commitments, the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, has commenced this review of the operation of Act. The review will assess the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation and will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

The review is being led by an independent chair and comprises two main phases. As part of the first phase of the review, information and evidence on the operation of the Act is being collected from women who use the service and from health professionals who provide the service, along with the views of the public through a public consultation, which closed on 1 April. In the second phase of the review, the chair will assess the extent to which the objectives have and have not been achieved and will make recommendations to address any barriers identified. The chair is expected to conclude her report and provide a report to the Minister at the end of the year. This process will provide an important examination of how our termination services are operating and will give us a chance, where necessary, to identify improvements to the operation of the Act.

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