Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The free contraception scheme for women was launched in September 2022, initially for women aged 17-25 who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. The scheme has now been expanded to include 26-year-olds from January 1st, 2023, and will be expanded further, in September, to include women aged 27-30. Approximately €32m has been assigned to support the scheme in 2023.

Funding through Budget 2023 was also allocated to expand the scheme to 16 year-olds subject to legal advice and consultation across Government. The proposal is under consideration by the Department of Health’s Legal Unit regarding potential legal issues arising.

In order to provide comprehensive information from a range of key stakeholders to the legal advisors, a consultation exercise was commenced in 2022, with opinions sought from a number of Government Departments, the HSE's clinical consent experts, the Ombudsman for Children's Office, the RCPI Faculty of Paediatrics and representatives of the voluntary sector. The consultation process closed in early March, with input from the majority of stakeholders.

The proposal is under active consideration by the Department of Health’s Legal Unit regarding potential legal issues arising and may be referred to the Office of the Attorney General for a final opinion. Should legal advice confirm there are no legal impediments to extending the scheme to 16 year olds, a legislative amendment to Section 67E of the Health Act 1970 will be required.