John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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1374. To ask the Minister for Health the measures that have been taken, and the current situation in respect of his commitment, to provide free HRT in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46570/24]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1468. To ask the Minister for Health if matters in relation to HRT (details supplied) will be clarified and expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1012/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1472. To ask the Minister for Health the reason no operational or implementation details were agreed in relation to the free HRT products scheme announced in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1035/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1473. To ask the Minister for Health if secondary legislation is ready to be placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas to facilitate promised free HRT products being made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1036/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1474. To ask the Minister for Health if he will respond to claims by a union (details supplied) that there will be a significant lead-in times required to facilitate IT changes for the delivery of free HRT products; the way this can be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1037/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1475. To ask the Minister for Health to list in full the range of HRT products proposed to be made available free of charge; if this has changed from the range originally announced in October 2024; whether there is scope to increase the range of products in amending legislation given that this has not yet been published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1038/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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1476. To ask the Minister for Health when free hormone replacement therapy as announced in Budget 2025 will become available; if women who had to pay for products in January 2025 will be reimbursed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1047/25]

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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1477. To ask the Minister for Health the date that HRT will become available free of charge, as proposed in Budget 2025; if this has now been delayed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1048/25]

Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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1480. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the promised provision of free HRT in January 2025; the reason for the delay; when free HRT will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1055/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1482. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the implementation of the free HRT scheme; the reasons for the delay in its rollout; if he will consider reimbursing women for HRT costs incurred since the start of January 2025 due to the delay in commencement of the scheme. [1060/25]

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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1486. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the provision of free hormone replacement therapy for women, which was due to be implemented on 1 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1084/25]

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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1503. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the expected rollout of the free HRT scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1156/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1516. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the discussions his Department is undertaking with the HSE and a union (details supplied) in order to implement the Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Bill 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1209/25]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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1568. To ask the Minister for Health when the free HRT scheme that was to be in place at the beginning of 2025 will be in place. [1518/25]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1588. To ask the Minister for Health when hormone replacement therapy will become free, given that this was supposed to commence in January, having been provided for in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1626/25]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1591. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the engagement he has undertaken with pharmacists and the HSE regarding the commitment to provide from HRT to women from January 2025; when this scheme will become operational; whether women will receive retrospective payment for HRT purchased from 1 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1631/25]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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1601. To ask the Minister for Health when HRT products will be available for free, as committed to in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1700/25]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1374, 1468, 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475, 1476, 1477, 1480, 1482, 1486, 1503, 1516, 1568, 1588, 1591 and 1601 together.

As Minister for Health, menopause has been an important health and well-being issue that I have prioritised, and much work has been done in this area which has been driven by the Women’s Health Taskforce and the Women’s Health Action Plans, launched in 2022 and 2024.

To support women through their menopause journeys, we have progressed various initiatives to enhance holistic and clinician supports available to women. These include:

• A GP Clinical Lead for Women’s Health established 2021, to lead on the improvement of women’s health supports in the community.
• The development of a menopause theory course for GPs and GP trainees via the Irish College of General Practitioners.
• The development in 2022 of a Quick Reference Guide on Menopause for GPs. The guide comprises of evidence-based information on the management of perimenopause and menopause in general practice by GPs and practice nurses.
• The “It’s My Time” campaign was launched in 2022, in partnership with Sport Ireland, aimed at encouraging women over 40 to increase physical activity levels, which can be helpful in managing symptoms of menopause.
• The launch, also in 2022, of a National Menopause Awareness campaign. This was a direct response to the demand from Irish women for greater knowledge and understanding of menopause as well as better access to accurate information and supports so that they can proactively manage their experience. A second phase of the campaign was relaunched in 2023 as part of the Department of Health’s Women’s Health Week.
• The launch of a dedicated webpage to provide trusted information for anyone affected by menopause in Ireland.
• In relation to making Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) more accessible and affordable, Budget 2023 announced the removal of VAT from HRT products. This came into effect from 1st January 2023.
• Six specialist menopause clinics now open for women who have complex experiences of menopause.
• In the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-2025 Phase 2: An Evolution in Women’s Health, we are committed to expanding the operating hours of these services so more women can receive necessary treatment.
• In 2023, in partnership with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, we launched the Menopause in the Workplace Policy Framework to guide all Civil Service departments and bodies in developing their own Menopause in the Workplace Policies. My Department has subsequently published its own guidance to support Department colleagues in their menopause journey.

The next step in supporting women experiencing menopause is the introduction of an initiative, announced as part of Budget 2025, where the cost of HRT products or medicines will be paid for by the State. This new measure aims to relieve some of the cost burden associated with HRT products. This is supported by a €20m per annum investment.

To enable this initiative, the was signed into law in November 2024. Under this legislation the Irish government will fund the product or medicine cost of HRT products prescribed to women to help manage any stage of menopause. For the purpose of this measure, menopause means the various stages for the treatment of menopause symptoms and includes perimenopause, post menopause, early menopause, premature menopause, and medically induced menopause.

This measure is for women who have been prescribed HRT by their healthcare provider and it applies to HRT products reimbursable by the HSE under the Community Drug Schemes, including the Drugs Payment Scheme and General Medical Services Scheme.

The cost of GP consultation fees and pharmacy dispensing fees are not included in the measure.

The Department of Health continues to engage and work with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Irish Pharmacy Union on the practical implementation of the .

The goal is to introduce this measure as soon as possible and reimbursement support will be available to participating pharmacies from the date that this measure is formally introduced and operational.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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1375. To ask the Minister for Health following the Budget 2025 announcement of free HRT, to confirm whether the patient will have to pay a dispensing fee to the pharmacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46571/24]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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1483. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in commencing the free HRT scheme; when the scheme will commence for qualifying patients; if he will arrange for women who should have benefited from the scheme since 1 January 2025 to be reimbursed any expenses accrued up to the formal commencement of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1064/25]

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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1493. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the rollout of the proposed free HRT scheme as outlined in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1114/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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1510. To ask the Minister for Health the reason that the publicly funded HRT scheme will be delayed; the new projected date for the rollout of the scheme; if persons will be reimbursed for HRT paid for between January 2025 and the implementation date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1176/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1511. To ask the Minister for Health if he will advise when HRT medication will be available without charge, as per Government commitments and announcements; if this will be backdated for medication dispensed and paid for in 2025; how a retrospective claim for recoupment of this expense will be done; if there will be an advertisement campaign advising of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1181/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1552. To ask the Minister for Health to give a clear outline of when the free HRT scheme will be implemented, as promised in Budget 2025; to commit to reimbursing patients who have had to purchase the medication after 1 January 2025 when the scheme was supposed to be introduced; to ensure that any GP fees incurred during the prescribing process are waived to ensure ‘free’ HRT as promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1432/25]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1375, 1483, 1493, 1510, 1511 and 1522 together.

As Minister for Health, menopause has been an important health and well-being issue that I have prioritised, and much work has been done in this area which has been driven by the Women’s Health Taskforce and the Women’s Health Action Plans, launched in 2022 and 2024.

To support women through their menopause journeys, we have progressed various initiatives to enhance holistic and clinician supports available to women. These include:

• A GP Clinical Lead for Women’s Health established 2021, to lead on the improvement of women’s health supports in the community.
• The development of a menopause theory course for GPs and GP trainees via the Irish College of General Practitioners.
• The development in 2022 of a Quick Reference Guide on Menopause for GPs. The guide comprises of evidence-based information on the management of perimenopause and menopause in general practice by GPs and practice nurses.
• The “It’s My Time” campaign was launched in 2022, in partnership with Sport Ireland, aimed at encouraging women over 40 to increase physical activity levels, which can be helpful in managing symptoms of menopause.
• The launch, also in 2022, of a National Menopause Awareness campaign. This was a direct response to the demand from Irish women for greater knowledge and understanding of menopause as well as better access to accurate information and supports so that they can proactively manage their experience. A second phase of the campaign was relaunched in 2023 as part of the Department of Health’s Women’s Health Week.
• The launch of a dedicated webpage to provide trusted information for anyone affected by menopause in Ireland.
• In relation to making Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) more accessible and affordable, Budget 2023 announced the removal of VAT from HRT products. This came into effect from 1st January 2023.
• Six specialist menopause clinics now open for women who have complex experiences of menopause.
• In the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-2025 Phase 2: An Evolution in Women’s Health, we are committed to expanding the operating hours of these services so more women can receive necessary treatment.
• In 2023, in partnership with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, Reform, we launched the Menopause in the Workplace Policy Framework to guide all Civil Service departments and bodies in developing their own Menopause in the Workplace Policies. My Department has subsequently publishes its own guidance to support Department colleagues in their menopause journey.

The next step in supporting women experiencing menopause is the introduction of an initiative, announced as part of Budget 2025, where the cost of HRT products or medicines will be paid for by the State. This new measure aims to relieve some of the cost burden associated with HRT products. This is supported by a €20m per annum investment.

To enable this initiative, the was signed into law in November 2024. Under this legislation the Irish government will fund the product or medicine cost of HRT products prescribed to women to help manage any stage of menopause. For the purpose of this measure, menopause means the various stages for the treatment of menopause symptoms and includes perimenopause, post menopause, early menopause, premature menopause, and medically induced menopause.

This measure is for women who have been prescribed HRT by their healthcare provider and it applies to HRT products reimbursable by the HSE under the Community Drug Schemes, including the Drugs Payment Scheme and General Medical Services Scheme.

The cost of GP consultation fees and pharmacy dispensing fees are not included in the measure.

The Department of Health continues to engage and work with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Irish Pharmacy Union on the practical implementation of the .

The goal is to introduce this measure as soon as possible and reimbursement support will be available to participating pharmacies from the date that this measure is formally introduced and operational.