asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funds to ensure that a comprehensive range of family planning advice and facilities is available to medical card holders.
Written Answers. - Family Planning Service.
123.
A family planning service is defined in the Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979, as a service for the provision of information, instruction, advice or consultation in relation to any one or more of the following: (a) family planning, (b) contraception, (c) contraceptives. Such information, instruction, advice or consultation is available free of charge to medical card holders from the many general practitioners who provide services under the general medical services scheme.
I would emphasise, however, that under the terms of the Health (Family Planning) Acts, 1979 and 1985, contraceptives can only be supplied by way of sale. A full range of contraceptive requisites is readily available from many retail pharmacy outlets throughout the country and from the various licensed family planning clinics. Grant-aid has been provided to a number of family planning clinics in relation to: (a) the provision of natural family planning services, and (b) the provision of training for various health care professionals.
I am, I should say, not aware of particular problems in this area.