Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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2897. To ask the Minister for Health if she has any plans to expand the number of midwife-led maternity units in the State; if she is aware of the World Health Organization’s guidance from June 2025 calling for global expansion of midwife-led care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42581/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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This Government is committed to driving improvements across women's health care, including in our maternity services. The National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 is driving a range of reforms to deliver maternity services that are quality, safe, woman-centred and nationally consistent.

The implementation of the Strategy's Model of Care is providing more choice for women. In line with the World Health Organisation's guidance, all 19 maternity services in Ireland now offer the midwife-led supported care pathway.

The Strategy is being driven in 2025 by new development funding of €2 million (with a Full Year Cost of €4 million in 2026), which is delivering:

• Additional Specialist Midwives to enhance women’s access to midwife-led care.
• 4 new Postnatal Hubs, to provide women with access to midwife-led postnatal care in the community and away from a hospital environment. Investment in 2025 will bring the national network to 13 Postnatal Hubs;
• Driving overall improvements in the safety of our maternity services through research, audit and new clinical guidelines, including midwifery guidelines.