Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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291. To ask the Minister for Health the status of plans for a free contraception service, as recommended by the Oireachtas Committee on the Eight Amendment to the Constitution; his plans to provide it by 2021 as committed to by his predecessor in Dáil Éireann; the specifics of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22905/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A Working Group was established in April 2019 to consider the range of policy, regulatory and legislative issues arising in relation to improving access to contraception in Ireland. The Group’s report, which was published in October 2019, identified the barriers that exist to accessing contraception and the mechanisms available to overcome those barriers.

The Programme for Government commits to providing free contraception over a phased period, beginning with women aged 17-25. At this time, a sizeable body of work remains to be addressed in order to advance policy and legislative proposals and then to ensure the implementation of service delivery arrangements.