Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health the details of his plan for a review of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018; the form this review will take; if it will include hearings or submissions from interested parties; when it will be concluded; if the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health will have a role in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28817/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Section 7 of the Act states that “The Minister shall, not later than 3 years after the commencement of this section, carry out a review of the operation of this Act."

The review is being progressed this year and will be led by an independent expert. It is anticipated that it will take a three-part approach to reviewing the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation. Research to inform the service user and service provider strands will be commissioned and carried out independently, and a public consultation will be held.

Upon completion, a full report, with any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to me, as Minister, for consideration.

I have held a number of meetings with stakeholder groups to discuss the approach for the review; this will be finalised in due course.