Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Programme for Government and Women’s Health Action Plan commitments, the free contraception scheme for women aged 17-25 was launched on Wednesday 14^thSeptember. 

Funding of approximately €9m has been allocated for the scheme in Budget 2022. Funding of approximately €32 million is provided, through Budget 2023, to support the contraception scheme and to expand it to include 16-30 year olds in 2023. The scheme will be expanded to include 26-year-olds on 1 January 2023, with 16 and 27-30 year olds becoming eligible on 1 September 2023. The expansion of the scheme to 16 year olds is subject to legal advice, detailed consultation and the required legislative amendments. 

The scheme is currently open to 17-25 year-old women ordinarily resident in Ireland and provides for: 

- The cost of prescription contraception; 

- The cost of necessary consultations with medical professionals to discuss suitable contraception for individual patients and to enable prescription of same; 

- 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; 

- The cost of training and certifying additional medical professionals to fit and remove LARCs; 

- The cost of providing the wide range of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders, which are also available through this scheme, including contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception. 

The legal framework for the scheme is provided by the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 2022, which was enacted in July and commenced in September, 2022.  Digital information regarding the scheme, how to access it and wider information on contraceptive options is available through www.sexualwellbeing.ie. 

Almost 2,000 GPs and over 1,800 pharmacists have entered into contracts with the HSE to be providers under the scheme. 

The potential to make some forms of prescription contraception available through pharmacies, without prescription by medical practitioners, was considered as part of the work of the Contraception Implementation Group and is wider than the free contraception scheme.

In Ireland at present, accessing oral contraceptives is regulated and requires a prescription from a medical practitioner. In order to enable pharmacists to dispense such products without the need for a prescription, detailed clinical consideration would be required to ensure that various patient safety issues are fully considered. 

Should the expert clinical advice recommend that certain forms of contraception, be made available through pharmacies without the need to attend a GP for prescription, this would require subsequent amendments to current regulatory frameworks.

Following previous engagement with representative groups, my officials have at my direction, submitted a formal request to the relevant clinical experts within the HSE to consider the clinical appropriateness of making some forms of contraception through pharmacies without the need for a prescription.  This process is ongoing and the advice of the relevant clinical experts will be considered once it is received.