An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-23
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

I have just heard the good news about Senator Ahearn. I congratulate him. I am delighted for him. All of his family are very welcome. It is great news. No better man. He deserves it. Well done.
I want to raise the recent welcome news about having repeat contraception prescriptions for women. I would urge repeat prescriptions would happen for people who use HRT. This is something I am affected by, which is why I wanted to bring it up. The people in my local pharmacy in Sligo asked me to raise the fact that between 15% and 30% of Irish women, including me, use HRT in order to manage symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. I and many others have welcomed the free scheme the Minister for Health brought in. She is to be commended on the proactive nature of what she did in that regard. Even before the free scheme was introduced, there were a lot of indications to the effect that there was not enough availability of HRT products within the market. This shortage is due to matters relating to supply chains. This is not just an Irish issue. Trade unions and the Irish Pharmacy Union have raised concerns in respect of it. If this was any other medication, there would be absolute uproar about what is happening. Our attitude to female reproductive health is not what it should be. In light of the impact weather like this has on people's symptoms, I know how important HRT is. It should be prioritised as an the area of medical healthcare. I wish we could have a conversation about women's health in the Seanad, specifically on this matter. There have been positive moves, and the Minister has to be commended on them. Again, we are looking for repeat prescriptions. HRT is a prescribed medicine, and the lack of availability is not getting the attention it deserves. It is not okay that it is women's health that is affected by the lack of availability. If we could have a debate with the Minister, it would be very welcome.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-23