Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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813. To ask the Minister for Health the number of times the Contraception Implementation Group has met; if the group will consult with experts on the provision of contraception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11786/22]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, published in October 2019, identified the barriers that exist to accessing contraception, which include accessibility, information, workforce capacity and, for a significant number of women who may be just above the eligibility threshold for a full GMS (medical) card, cost.

In consideration of the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution (JOC8) and the findings of the Working Group on Contraception, the Programme for Government, 2020 commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with the 17-25 age cohort.  Work on this was temporarily delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the cross-disciplinary Contraception Implementation Group was set up in July 2021 to progress the introduction of this scheme. 

The Contraception Implementation Group meets on a monthly basis, with meetings held in July, September, October, November and December 2021, and January and February 2022, with sub-groups also meeting with counterparts in the HSE to ensure that steady progress is being made on implementation. Funding of approximately €9m has been allocated in Budget 2022 to enable commencement of the scheme, which is still scheduled for August 2022.

In terms of both expert and stakeholder consultations, it should be noted that the recommendations of the JOC8 took into consideration the deliberations of the Citizen’s Assembly on the matter. The Working Group on Contraception held a number of meetings with key stakeholders, including experts, as part of its research, prior to publication of the Report.

More recently, my Department has held consultations and listening exercises with a large range of stakeholders, as part of the wider work of the Women’s Health Taskforce and, separately, as part of wider work to review the National Sexual Health Strategy.

It should be noted that the stakeholder meetings carried out in 2021 regarding the National Sexual Health Strategy included a wide range of input from the HSE, including key clinicians, and from the academic sector. Expanding access to contraception, as per the Programme for Government commitment, was a key element of feedback.

Ongoing engagement with the HSE and medical representative organisations will be required for implementation, roll-out, evaluation and monitoring of the scheme; needless to say, these engagements will include input from clinicians and other relevant experts. Clear stakeholder and expert feedback with regard to access to contraception is therefore duly taken into consideration in the development and progression of this scheme.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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814. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to Ireland’s ranking of 16 out of 46 countries on the European Contraception Atlas; if measures that improve this ranking can be taken including the provision of free contraception to 17 to 25 year olds will be implemented as promised in Budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11787/22]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Contraception Atlas provides Ireland with a 65% ranking and advises that Ireland will be in a good position to move to the highest-ranking category once the free contraception scheme is in place.

The Programme for Government commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with the 17-25 age cohort; roll-out is scheduled to commence in August 2022.

The scheme will provide for:

1. The cost of prescription contraception;
2. The cost of a minimum of two consultations per annum with GPs and other doctors to discuss suitable contraception for individual patients and to enable prescription of same;
3. The cost of fitting and/or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) plus any necessary checks, by medical professionals certified to fit/remove same;
4. The cost of training and certifying additional medical professionals to fit and remove LARCs;
5. Provision of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders through this scheme, to include contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.

In the meantime, it should be noted that the costs of prescription contraception medications and/or medical devices are currently covered under the GMS scheme, for those holding a GMS (medical) card, while clinical costs are covered under both the medical and GP visit cards. For those not eligible for a GMS or GP Visit card, the total cost of prescription medication is capped under the Drugs Payment Scheme, which is being reduced from €100 to €80 per month. The Drugs Payment Scheme is open to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.