Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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550. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the €31.5 million allocated in 2023 to the free contraception scheme in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44951/23]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The free contraception scheme was launched in September last year, for women and girls ordinarily resident in Ireland, aged 17-25. The scheme was extended to include women aged from 17-30 inclusive in 2023. Approximately €31.5m was allocated to support the scheme in 2023.

Almost 2,400 GPs and 1,900 pharmacies in all regions of the country have signed up to provide services and products under the scheme to date; it can be accessed across the country. The scheme covers the cost of consultations, and, where appropriate, fittings, checks and removals of contraceptive devices, with GPs, family planning, student health and primary care centres.

It also covers the cost of prescriptions for the wide range of contraceptive options available through the Health Service Executive (HSE) Re-Imbursement List, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs); injections, implants and hormonal and copper coils. It also includes emergency contraception in addition to the oral contraceptive Pill, patch and ring. Women who have had coils, IUDs, IUSs or implants inserted under the scheme will remain eligible for the subsequent checks and free removal of any devices that were inserted before their 31st birthday, in order to ensure continuity of care.

The majority of the budget for contraception is allocated to the HSE Primary Care Division, with most of this allocated to the Primary Care Reimbursement Service, such that GPs and pharmacists contracted to provide services under the scheme can reclaim their costs (as detailed in S.I. No. 451 of 2022 which describes the fees payable).

A subset of the Budget allocation is assigned to the National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP), in order to provide support to maternity units and hospitals and access to contraceptive medicines and devices for those attending maternity Units and hospitals in post-natal or post-ToP settings

An additional allocation is to the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), in order to fund additional training for GPs who may wish to provide specialist fittings, checks and removals of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs: intrauterine devices and systems (IUS; IUD), coils and implants) as part of their services under the scheme.

HSE Primary Care, PCRS: €29,409, 860

NWIHP: €428,000 – contraception in post-natal/post-ToP settings

ICGP: €211,263 – LARC training

In terms of more detailed information regarding 2023 expenditure, as this is a service matter, I have asked that the HSE respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.