Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not have the opportunity to follow the debate as I was in committee, so problem is that aside from being aware of the issue that was being debated, I have no idea what has been spoken about in my absence. I thank the Minister of State for giving his time to this motion, and I apologise for not being present. Unfortunately, I was attending a committee meeting at which we were dealing with an important report on the unmet needs of children with special needs and their families.

This is a hugely important issue for this Government, and I know the Minister of State appreciates that, but it is also a hugely important issue for every man, woman and child in the country. We need to move beyond the point of consensus that we have established, and that has been documented, articulated and promoted. The Government must get on with rolling out free contraception. There is an identified target group in the initial phase of the roll-out, namely, 17 to 25 year-olds, which I wholly support. I do not know how the Minister of State responded to the motion, but I hope that it will make for good reading later and that I will find it encouraging. If that is not the case, I will be back here in January, tabling the same motion, and asking the Minister of State to return to the House. I am sure that my colleagues will join me in re-engaging with the debate. The women of both Chambers are committed to this issue, and we have shown this month-on-month. We want to see action taken on this promise in the programme for Government. It is an extensive and ambitious programme for Government, but it is one that we support and we believe that it can and should be delivered on in the near future.