Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Phase 2, led by the independent chair, will assess to what extent the objectives of the Act have been achieved and analysing in that regard the findings of the three strands of information concerning the operation of the Act. The extent to which the Act's objectives have not been achieved will be assessed and recommendations made to address any barriers identified. The chair of the review will also draw on the findings of other relevant peer-reviewed research and consult further with stakeholders, as necessary, before providing conclusions and any recommendations to the Minister in 2022.

For the review to be effective, it must find out whether the legislation provided access to termination of pregnancy services in practice to those who wish to avail of them. In this regard, independent research exploring women’s experiences of termination of pregnancy services and gathering their views on how the system has operated since 1 January 2019 will be essential.

Information from service providers will supply the second key strand for the review. Here, we will need to gather the views of those involved in providing termination of pregnancy services in community and acute settings in Ireland. A tender for this research was issued on the eTenders website last week.

It will also be important to include, as the third strand of the review, an opportunity for members of the public, special interest groups or any other interested parties to submit their views for consideration in the review process. This will be achieved through a public consultation process, and that was launched on the Department of Health’s website on 8 December. That aspect will run until April 2022.

I am pleased that a review of the Act has commenced, and I assure the Senator that the Minister is aware of the need to appoint a chair who will conduct this work thoroughly and efficiently in a fair and transparent manner.