Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. It is the same question and the same answer. What we are doing is funding the costs of the medicines and the devices. What is not included is the GP visit, which is just as relevant. I know the Deputy is not asking about the GP visit but it is just as relevant because it is for a prescription. Half the country now has access to free GP care. For the other half there is a charge to see a GP. Similarly, there will be a dispensing charge or a prescription charge from the pharmacist.

I would love to have announced a scheme that said, just like with free contraception, all of the costs end to end are covered but we would have had two very serious issues to deal with in the first year of the scheme. We would not have been able to cover all women, and I do not think that would have been right as it is important we cover all women. We would also have had to have agreements in place with the IMO, as we did with free contraception, and with the IPU. All of this takes a lot of time. To provide the service for all women in January, rather than potentially much later next year, this was the best way to go.

What the Deputies and I would like to see is full end-to-end cover and not just the pharmacy piece, which the Deputies are raising.

I would like to see the GP consultation covered too. Given the choice in the first year of the scheme, I am of the view, and certainly the feedback I have got, is that providing the service for all women was definitely the preferred option.

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