Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026: Second and Subsequent Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Maria Byrne (FG), Agricultural Panel

I thank the Minister for coming to discuss this really important Bill today. I thank her personally and her Department for all they are doing for women's health since she came into office. The roll-out of this important Bill and the many other prescription services that can now be accessed through the pharmacy are really important. As the Minister said herself, people were queueing up to get a doctor's appointment and those appointments now will be available for people with more complex health issues. I understand that for the first appointment they need to go to the doctor but after that, it will be through the pharmacy. Pharmacists have a huge role to play. I compliment the IPU and its president and members for their involvement and willingness to step up to the plate. The Minister listed some of the different issues that can now be dealt with there. They are quite common issues which do happen in people's lives on a regular basis. Not having to go to a doctor for a prescription certainly saves people money but also time. For most people, especially for the less minor things like a urinary tract infection or conjunctivitis, people just want them dealt with and to move on with their day. They are not impeding most of the time.
Certainly I think that the contraception is going to be free for most people and for private patients it will be a lower price than normal. This is a really important step. I am sure the Minister has more things that she will be bringing forward in terms of the role of the pharmacy. People feel very comfortable in going to their pharmacist. Nine times out of ten, people have the same pharmacist and they build a relationship with that person. Even before this, people were often asking the advice of the pharmacist rather than going to the GP. It is a very important step. I compliment all involved. The Minister has the full support of Fine Gael.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16