Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their cross-party support. The free HRT scheme is an important step in the right direction and builds on a very determined agenda from this Government in terms of women's healthcare.

The free contraception scheme is going very well. We are getting very strong feedback from healthcare providers and from women who are using the scheme.

We have the free IVF scheme. We now have our first baby through the IVF scheme. An ever-increasing number of people are using the scheme. In the budget we expanded eligibility for the scheme, which is very welcome.

We have set up a national network of "see-and-treat" gynaecology clinics, which are now reducing the time women are having to wait for initial consultation and diagnostics, and, potentially, procedures, in some cases from years to weeks. In Sligo, for example, the gynae outpatient waiting list was about four years. It now takes between four to six weeks to go through all stages of consultation, diagnostics and treatment, and all on the one morning. Our healthcare workers have really done a fabulous job.

We have set up specialist endometriosis clinics, which were really urgent. Again, there is very strong feedback coming from our healthcare providers and service users.

We have set up specialist menopause clinics. We have also brought in various other measures around menopause, like awareness campaigns and taxation measures.

For the last four and a half years this Government has been prioritising women's healthcare. I want to acknowledge that right across the House there has been very broad support for it. I want to acknowledge that support from all sides of the House. It has been important. I think we still have been a way to go. I think there is more that is needed. As per the conversation we have just had, the scheme we are bringing should move as quickly as possible to being like the free contraception scheme so that all associated costs are covered. There is more we need to do on health ageing around bone health, cardiovascular health and other issues.

Next year, in Cork we will build our first public IVF or assisted human reproduction clinic. We want more around the country. We are using private providers at the moment but ultimately we want this to be inhouse and publicly provided.

There has been really important progress so I want to acknowledge the officials in the Department, healthcare workers and the HSE. The women's healthcare initiatives have really been taken on with amazing energy and determination. We are in a fundamentally different place now than we were at the start of this term. The credit for that goes to our healthcare workers. It goes to the women around Ireland who got involved in the women's health task force and the consultation exercise. It is great to be able to bring in this legislation in what may be the last week of the Oireachtas for this Government. It really is fantastic to be ending with such a positive and important piece of legislation in terms of women's healthcare so thank you.