Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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342. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the development of national standards to improve access to antenatal anomaly screening in all maternity units as set out in the national maternity strategy. [53617/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to the progressive development of maternity services. In 2016, Ireland’s first National Maternity Strategy was published, followed by the HSE’s National Standards for Bereavement Care following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death and HIQA’s National Standards for Safer Better Maternity Services. In 2017, a National Women & Infants Health Programme has been established within the HSE to lead the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecological and neonatal services across primary, community and acute care.

The Strategy is very clear that all women must have equal access to standardised ultrasound services. It will be implemented on a phased basis and this work will be led by the Programme. In October last, I was pleased to launch the Programme's Implementation Plan for the Strategy. That plan includes a number of actions to facilitate the provision by all maternity hospitals/units of dating and anomaly scans to all pregnant women. Indeed, the issue of anomaly scanning is a priority issue for the Programme and I am advised that it will continue to work with the six Hospital Groups to assist in increasing access to anomaly scans for those units with limited availability.

I can confirm that additional funding will be provided for anomaly scanning in 2018, the detail of which will be set out in the National Service Plan 2018. In relation to the specific queries raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.