Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was clearly agreed that we would set up a special committee which would take 12 weeks and report back with proposed amendments. We have stopped the Bill to wait for and accommodate that process. That has been agreed. The special committee has been set up and is meeting. We have paused the Bill and are waiting to hear back from the committee after 12 weeks. That is the process that has been agreed. Let us see where that takes us. Both domestic and international surrogacy need to be addressed. It is just a question of timing and sequencing.

Safe access zones were raised and much progress has been made on those. I hope to bring the heads of a Bill on that issue to Government soon. The heads of Bill would then go to the Joint Committee on Health for pre-legislative scrutiny. I think we can move through that process quite quickly. There has been healthy and important debate of the issue in the Seanad and it has been addressed in a Private Members' Bill brought forward in this House. That legislation has been examined and the clear advice I have is that we need a new Bill. I think we are in a good space on this and colleagues will like the Bill when they see the heads. We will then bring it through drafting and, hopefully, through both Houses as quickly as possible.

On lactation consultants, I will get Senator Sherlock a detailed note on the position in that regard. Funding has been provided and the posts have been sanctioned. I have met several of the support groups. It is going well, both in the maternity units where some of the additional support is and through community support groups. I met one group about two weeks ago and I have met a few others around the country. They are going well. I will check the position because we need those experts in place as quickly as possible.

On home births, I agree this issue has not moved at the pace it should. It is address in the national maternity strategy. There has been much good work done on midwifery-led care, new birthing units and better facilities, but more is needed on the community care and home birth sides. Home birth is not where it needs to be and I am working with the national women and infants programme to see how we can move it along.

Deputy Sherlock is correct on recruitment and workforce planning. It is a bigger question than we have time to address today. Suffice it to say that we have sanctioned more posts than ever and over the last two years the HSE has hired more staff than at any time since its foundation. A huge amount of work is being done but we want to hire many thousands more clinicians and other staff.

A few Members stated I have committed to introducing IVF services. I have committed to seek the funding to introduce it. I want this service to be publicly funded. However, that is subject to budgetary constraints. We are an outlier and need to move on this issue. It is a matter for discussion with clinicians and the Department as to who it applies to.

Regarding Senator Seery Kearney's input on people with disabilities, for anyone to be asked the question she raised is completely unacceptable. I would take it as a given that a disability would not preclude anybody from being able to access IVF treatment. I am horrified by the question that person was asked.

HPV vaccination is something we all support and I was keen to see a HPV vaccination catch-up programme put in place. I sought NIAC advice, which came back and was positive. It has referred to an age cohort of up to 25 years of age. I am seeking additional advice now. Some countries have moved from a three-dose to a one-dose regimen. I believe the NHS has moved to that too. I am seeking additional advice on that because it will have a big impact. On the back of the NIAC advice, I have written to the HSE and asked for options to initiate a catch-up programme. There are two parts to this, namely, a catch-up programme for boys and girls still in school who were offered the vaccination but did not take it or missed it, and also for young women up to 25 years of age. Those are the operational pieces I am looking for.

Going back to the start of this, which is around women's healthcare, this debate shows how far and quickly we are moving. It does not mean we are getting everything right or that we can do everything in one or two years but over last year and this we will, by the end of the year, have built up a national network of women's health services that did not exist previously, including fertility hubs, endometriosis support, menopause support, see-and-treat gynaecology clinics and other women's health facilities. It is an exciting time in terms of women's healthcare and I am delighted to see political support across the Seanad and Dáil for continuing to make this a priority, investing in it and growing out the services.