Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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528. To ask the Minister for Health the terms of references for and the membership of the contraception implementation group that was established under his Department to support the roll-out of free contraception; the number of times this group has met since its first meeting in July 2021; the work plan submitted to him by the group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60024/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Contraception Implementation Group contains representation from the following policy areas: health and wellbeing, sexual health, women’s health, bioethics, and primary care, including medicines, pharmacy, GP and GMS (medical card) services and policy.

The Group will also appoint additional representation as deemed necessary, to be drawn from Department of Health or the HSE.

The Contraception Implementation Group met initially on the 28th July, 2021 and has met on a further three occasions.

In terms of the workplan, the primary purpose of the Contraception Implementation Group is the implementation of the scheme for free contraception scheme for women aged 17-25 years old announced in the Budget and the officials involved on the group are actively working on this. The details of the scheme were announced after the Budget and can be accessed here:

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/830c2-minister-donnelly-secures-free-contraception-for-women-aged-between-17-25-years-in-budget-2022/

The terms of reference of the Contraception Implementation Group are as follows:

The Implementation Group will oversee, coordinate and support the lead Unit in terms of:

1.the implementation of the significant cross-Governmental and societal measures necessary to implement free contraception on a statutory basis, for women ordinarily resident within the State.

2.The introduction of free contraception for 17-25 year old women initially, as per recommendations in the Programme for Government, 2020 and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, by the end of 2022.

3.Consultation with relevant stakeholders on necessary legislative change, Budgetary, eligibility, contract negotiations and other relevant matters.

4.Progression of legislation to establish eligibility for free contraceptive to women aged 17-25 in the first instance, while also planning for the longer-term inclusion of wider age cohorts

5.Requests for funding, through the annual Estimates and HSE National Service Plan process,

6.Work to align the provision of free contraception with wider HSE and DoH policy and strategy in the areas of sexual health, obstetrics and gynaecology, women’s health, Primary Care and other relevant policy areas.

7.Negotiation with representative bodies, as appropriate, regarding inclusion of contraception in relevant service contracts, regulations and guidelines.

8.Play an advisory role in informing and supporting Health &Wellbeing Programme “H&WP” and the Women’s Health Taskforce if necessary, in terms of design of information and publicity campaigns to support and promote the roll-out of the scheme, once enabling legislation is enacted

9.Play an advisory role in informing and supporting H&WP in terms of making provision for Surveys, focus groups and other monitoring mechanisms, and collating data from the Primary Care Re-imbursement Service, MyOptions service, HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme and termination of pregnancy services, in order to monitor the impact of implementation.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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529. To ask the Minister for Health the external experts outside of Government officials who are being consulted on the work of the contraception implementation group; when the group will publish its report and recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60025/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Following the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, a Working Group on Access to Contraception 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 report is available online at:

assets.gov.ie/38063/89059243e750415ebf7e96247a4225ae.pdf

‎The findings of this report made clear that a sizable body of work needs to be addressed in order to develop and finalise the policy approach, bring forward the necessary legislative proposals and ensure the implementation of service delivery arrangements.

The Programme for Government, 2020, Our Shared Future, builds on the Report's recommendations in its commitment to provide free contraception over a phased period, starting with women aged 17-25. The purpose of the Contraception Implementation Group, established in July, 2021, is to address the sizeable body of work identified in the published Report and to implement the Programme for Government commitment.

The Contraception Implementation Group is composed of Department of Health officials, who are regularly engaging with their counterparts in the HSE and reporting their findings back to the Group. Formal consultation and engagement between the Department, relevant Divisions of the HSE, stakeholder representative organizations and with the legislative process will commence in the first quarter of 2022.

A Report and recommendations are already published and publicly available through the Report of the Working Group on Contraception and through the Programme for Government. The details of the free contraception scheme for women aged 17-25 years old were announced after the Budget and can be accessed here:

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/830c2-minister-donnelly-secures-free-contraception-for-women-aged-between-17-25-years-in-budget-2022/

The primary purpose of the Contraception Implementation Group is the implementation of the scheme announced in the Budget and the officials involved are actively working on this.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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530. To ask the Minister for Health the discussions that have taken place in his Department with general practitioner representatives following the budget 2022 announcement in respect of free contraception for persons under 25 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60026/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with the 17-25 age cohort; accordingly, funding for free contraception, starting with women aged 17-25, has been allocated in Budget 2022.

It is envisaged that a wide range of contraceptive options, currently available to medical card holders, will be made available through this scheme. The initiative is gradually being introduced by age cohort, starting with younger women who are least likely to be financially independent and where cost has been shown to be a greater barrier to accessing the most effective forms of contraception, long acting, reversible contraception, or LARCs.

In order to give time to bring forward the necessary legislative proposals and ensure the implementation of service delivery arrangements through the appropriate areas of the healthcare system, it is envisaged that the scheme will commence in August 2022, but this is dependent on legislative timelines. My officials will commence engagement with GP representatives on contractual and service arrangements in 2022.