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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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I thank Senators for their support and enthusiasm for this legislation. It is very practical and will improve access to healthcare for women.
On the age range, this scheme was introduced in a phased way to protect the taxpayer. The emphasis was on the youngest women first, recognising that they probably had less money and that they were not as likely to be at the phase of trying to conceive as somebody in their late 20s or early 30s. The intention was to focus and build over time. I would very much like to continue to extend it. We reckon that for every year we extend the scheme, the additional cost is about €1 million. The extension to 36- to 40-year-olds is likely to be €5 million. The extension to 41- to 45-year-olds could possibly be €5 million to €8 million because there are statistically fewer women in that bracket trying to conceive, so the numbers are higher. It really is a question of funding.
I remind Senators that they have also asked me to fund various other programmes. We could be here talking about menopause and how we would like more specialist menopause clinics, which we are extending. It is important that Senator Tully raised this. I have put an emphasis on women's health generally. We have not had an emphasis on women's health historically. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Stephen Donnelly, and to a previous Minister, now Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, who both began the women's health task force. We have seen nearly €200 million invested in women's health specifically as a consequence of that. However, it is still true to say that women's health has not been understood as a distinct thing. For example, cardiovascular disease presents entirely differently in many cases with women. Heart failure has different symptoms in women than in men. We know that. We have a Her Heart Matters programme to try to dedicate more resources and understand the differences between women and men when it comes to conditions of that kind. This year, we have provided funding of €2 million to the Health Research Board specifically for research on women's health to differentiate it and make it different.
In particular, the board will be focusing on aspects of menstrual health, on aspects of postpartum mental health, particularly in traumatic birth cases, on something we have overlooked for some time, which is endometriosis, on women who are finding it difficult to access services in different ways, as Senator Harmon suggested, and on more marginalised groups. It is about trying to find and understand different ways to make contact with them and make sure they have the health they are entirely entitled to.
I forgot to mention the hormone replacement therapy, HRT, arrangement, which is now free for women. I do not have concerns about pharmacists' continued participation. It is always wonderful to see advocacy for private businesses by the Social Democrats. They have been enthusiastic in signing up to the common conditions service. It is a service that generates fees for pharmacists. It is an opportunity to work at the top of their profession. I have found them to be really enthusiastic about this whole programme about expansion. It is far from withdrawing. They are able to hire more people. We have put more supports into being able to train at a totally different level. We want to give them the respect they need. I am more interested, if the Senator will forgive me, on supporting patients and access to patients.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16