Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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236. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has considered the model whereby funding follows the patient (MFTP) for vasectomy services, as with termination of pregnancy services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39807/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Sexual health is a priority for this Government. The National Sexual Health Strategy, 2025-2035 (NSHS) and the first National Sexual Health Action Plan, 2025-2028 (NSHAP) were approved by Government on the 10th of June 2025 and published on 25th June 2025.

Sterilisation methods, which are surgical procedures, are not included in either of the current schemes supporting wider access to free contraception. The Free Contraception Scheme provides free access to prescription contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception, for eligible women, currently those aged 17-35 inclusive. The National Condom Distribution Scheme supplies free condoms though the national network of public STI clinics, through NGOs and community services working with key groups who may be at higher risk of negative sexual health outcomes, on campuses of participating 3rd level institutions and with orders from the home STI testing service.

The Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, which is available on the Department's website, did not originally recommend the inclusion of sterilisations in a free contraception scheme as the failure rates were comparable to those of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs - coils and implants), and LARCs are fully reversible.

Sterilisation methods include tubal ligation or sterilising implants for women and vasectomy for men. More recent evidence has indicated that improvements have been made in terms of the surgical methods for delivering vasectomies, and, for some couples and individuals where female hormonal contraception is not tolerated or otherwise contraindicated, sterilisation may be the most appropriate and preferred choice.

Female sterilisation is already available through our maternity and gynaecology services. There is significant inequity of access to vasectomy, both geographically and based on ability to pay. Vasectomies are available without cost to some medical card holders and at a cost to patients in a limited number of primary care settings and through private urology care.

The new NSHS and NSHAP commit to scoping the potential for expanding access to male and female sterilisation. This will be considered by the HSE’s cross divisional expert group on contraception, in due course, to best meet the needs of patients who may benefit. Work to set up the oversight structures for new NSHS is underway at present, with work on other actions to commence as soon as possible in 2025.

In terms of priorities, the clinical considerations concerning the potential introduction of a vasectomy service need to be examined and documented first, prior to any consideration of administration including funding models.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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237. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration has been, or will be, given to extending free family planning to the provision of vasectomy services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39809/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Sexual health is a priority for this Government. The National Sexual Health Strategy, 2025-2035 (NSHS) and the first National Sexual Health Action Plan, 2025-2028 (NSHAP) were approved by Government on the 10th of June 2025 and published on 25th June 2025.

Sterilisation methods, which are surgical procedures, are not included in either of the current schemes supporting wider access to free contraception. The Free Contraception Scheme provides free access to prescription contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception, for eligible women, currently those aged 17-35 inclusive. The National Condom Distribution Scheme supplies free condoms though the national network of public STI clinics, through NGOs and community services working with key groups who may be at higher risk of negative sexual health outcomes, on campuses of participating 3rd level institutions and with orders from the home STI testing service.

The Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, which is available on the Department's website, did not originally recommend the inclusion of sterilisations in a free contraception scheme as the failure rates were comparable to those of long-acting reversable contraception (LARCs - coils and implants), and LARCs are fully reversable.

Sterilisation methods include tubal ligation or sterilising implants for women and vasectomy for men. More recent evidence has indicated that improvements have been made in terms of the surgical methods for delivering vasectomies, and, for some couples and individuals where female hormonal contraception is not tolerated or otherwise contraindicated, sterilisation may be the most appropriate and preferred choice.

Female sterilisation is already available through our maternity and gynaecology services. There is significant inequity of access to vasectomy, both geographically and based on ability to pay. Vasectomies are available without cost to some medical card holders and at a cost to patients in a limited number of primary care settings and through private urology care.

The new NSHS and NSHAP commit to scoping the potential for expanding access to male and female sterilisation. This will be considered by the HSE’s cross divisional expert group on contraception, in due course, to best meet the needs of patients who may benefit. Work to set up the oversight structures for new NSHS is underway at present, with work on other actions to commence as soon as possible in 2025.