Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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678. To ask the Minister for Health if a review has been conducted of the 2015-2020 Sexual Health Strategy; and, if so, when this review will be published. [17507/22]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The National Sexual Health Strategy, 2015-2020, was launched in October 2015.  It takes a life course approach, acknowledging the importance of developing a healthy attitude to sexuality in young people and of building on that foundation for positive sexual health and wellbeing into adulthood and older age. 

Current priority deliverables under the Strategy are HIV prevention, including the continued expansion of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, which commenced in late 2019, and the HIV Fast Track Cities programme, involving Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.

Other key areas of work include expanding access to contraception, free of charge; expanding sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, progressing a population survey on sexual health and improving sexual health education, training and resources, including in schools, higher and further education.

A review of the Strategy began in 2021, having been postponed as a result of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus group meetings were held with key stakeholders, including clinical and public health staff, the Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme team, those working in the STI clinics, the education sector, the Department of Health and Women’s Health Taskforce, the research and academic sector and organisations representing the LGBTI+ community.

The detailed feedback from these meetings has been collated and will inform the future direction of the next iteration of the strategy. Commissioning an external review of the Strategy has been approved and will progress through standard procurement processes, which will commence shortly. It is envisaged that the procurement process will conclude by July, with the Review to take 3-4 months once commenced. When complete, the Report will be published on the Healthy Ireland website. Results will, in turn, inform future policy direction.