Written answers

Thursday, 3 December 2020

Department of Health

Contraceptive Services

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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380. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the commitment in the Programme for Government to provide free contraception starting with women aged 17 to 25 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41058/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister remains committed to the aim of expanding access to free contraception for women aged 17-25 as set out in the Programme for Government.

A Working Group report on Access to Contraception, published in October 2019, made clear that a sizable body of work would need to be addressed in order to develop and finalise the policy approach in this area and to bring forward the necessary legislative proposals and ensure the implementation of service delivery arrangements. The need to focus on and prioritise the response to the current pandemic has delayed and disrupted progress during 2020.

The Minister is committed to advancing Women’s Health and Wellbeing, and significant funding to promote women’s health was announced as part of Budget 2021, including investment in the maternity strategy, gynaecology services, screening services and the Women’s Health Taskforce.

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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381. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the research by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41059/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is aware of and welcomes the recent research undertaken by the Dublin Well Women Centre on contraception.

Among other things, the report points to barriers facing women trying to access their preferred forms of contraception and identifies cost, location and misinformation as particularly important.

This broadly reflects the findings of the Working Group report on Access to Contraception, published in October 2019, which highlighted the need for policy development around contraception to focus on accessibility, education and workforce capacity, as well as cost.

The Minister is committed to the aim of expanding access to free contraception for women aged 17-25 as set out in the Programme for Government. However, a number of regulatory, legal and policy issues need to be addressed before such a scheme can be implemented. The need to focus on and prioritise the response to the current pandemic has, unfortunately, delayed and disrupted progress on this issue during 2020.

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