Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I hope that will not put a stop to the work it is doing in health promotion.

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency has not been able to stop rogue or bullying pregnancy counselling agencies because there is no legislation in place. These operate around the country to essentially bully and intimidate young women who present to them with crisis pregnancies, giving them misinformation. Some form of Government action or legislation is required in this area.

There are problems with the Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State For Termination of Pregnancies) Act 1995 which prohibits doctors and counsellors from referring women to termination providers in Britain. Even if a woman wishes to go to Britain, she can only be given information but not be referred. From a health promotion perspective, this is not adequate in dealing with the issues women in crisis pregnancy face.

The Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services, AIMS, established in 2007, has met with the Minister for Health and Children to press for changes and improvement in the delivery of maternity services. AIMS has requested adequate data collection from hospitals on the provision of maternity services. For example, there is a concern that adequate figures on maternal health are not available but come piecemeal from individual maternity hospitals. Data on maternal morbidity rates seem to be lacking.

AIMS has also lobbied the Minister for the setting in place of national guidelines for good practice on the delivery of maternity services. This was highlighted in Ms Justice Maureen Harding Clark's report on the provision of maternity services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Her recommendations need to be put in place and national guidelines for good practice adopted. AIMS has demanded adequate action where there are deviations in services as was highlighted in the Lourdes hospital, Drogheda, with the appalling consequences for so many women.

Maternal and infant health is a matter for health promotion. AIMS has raised this not only with the Minister for Health and Children but also with the Minister for Education and Science. Some education about normal birth and breast feeding should be included in the curriculum as part of the social, personal and health education syllabus. Irish breast-feeding rates and normal birth outcomes are among the lowest in Europe. AIMS has published figures on the rate of caesarean deliveries which is pushing 30% in some hospitals. The national breast-feeding rate has been far lower than the European average, a mere 14% in the first six weeks after birth, a critical time in the development of infant health, compared with the European average of 80% to 90%. We should be looking to promote normal birth and breast-feeding at an earlier level. Will the Minister of State embrace that as part of the health promotion strategy?