Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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715. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details of any policies issued by his Department or public bodies under his remit that refer to the importance of the bond between an infant and their parents, especially their mother, in the first six months after birth. [53586/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Maternity Strategy refers specifically to the importance of the bond between an infant and their parents, in particular its mother. The purpose of the Strategy is to ensure standard, consistent models for the delivery of a national maternity service, reflecting best available evidence, and ensuring that all pregnant women have appropriate and informed choice, and access to the right level of safe care and support from the right professional, at the right time and in the right place, based on her needs.

The Strategy refers to the importance of the bond between mother/parents and their infant specifically in the context of perinatal mental health, support for breastfeeding as part of the Strategy's model of care and the promotion of such bonding as part of antenatal education.

The Strategy makes one direct recommendation in relation to mother and infant bonding. That action is that:

"Mother-baby bonding will be facilitated and supported at all times, and as such, every effort will be made to keep the mother and baby together, if clinically appropriate."

In addition, the HSE has a number of policies and action plans under its remit which may also refer directly to the importance of parent and infant bonding in the first 6 months after birth. I have therefore also asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy's question directly, as soon as possible.