Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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1743. To ask the Minister for Health if it will be ensured that the terms of reference for the review of the abortion legislation will include matters (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1564/22]

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. Under section 7 of the Act, a review of the operation of the Act must be initiated within three years of the commencement of the Act, i.e., before January 2022.

The review of the operation of the Act has now commenced. As part of the first phase of the review, the Minster has announced a public consultation (www.gov.ie/topreview) on the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. The public consultation will provide an opportunity for members of the public, organisations, stakeholders, advocacy groups working in the area, and all other interested parties to inform the review of their views on the operation of the legislation.

I have previously stated that an independent Chair will be appointed to lead the review later this month, and I expect that the Chair will wish to have an input on the terms of reference. The terms of reference for the Chair are available on the Department of Health website. 

The review will comprise a three-part approach to appraise the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation. Independent research commissioned to inform the service user and service provider strands will form key elements of the review.

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