Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 May 1991

Vol. 408 No. 7

Written Answers. - Family Planning.

Nuala Fennell

Question:

150 Mrs. Fennell asked the Minister for Health if he will outline (1) the criteria which are used in deciding grants for family planning, (2) the health boards which gave grant aid to family planning agencies and the agencies which were aided in 1989-90, (3) the agencies which were funded directly by his Department and the amount received by each agency, (4) whether grants are only available from local or central Government for natural family planning and (5) the level and range of services provided by the National Association of the Ovulation Method in Ireland which received £20,500 in 1990; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that when the health promotion unit of his Department are contacted by the public, they refer to the Irish Family Planning Association which is a non-governmental agency as yet unfunded by his Department for 1990; his views on whether it is cost effective to provide each individual seeking information on contraception with the Book of the Child which is a very costly book on childcare; whether leaflets, speakers or staff are available through his Department to assist those who wish to learn about all methods of family planning; if he will further outline (a) the number of health boards who reimburse medical card holders who require contraception, (b) whether a couple with a medical card who choose to have a vasectomy can be reimbursed, (c) the health boards who provide tubal ligation operations for unwaged women and (d) the grants for family/marriage counselling which have been allocated in 1989 and 1990 and the organisations.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

With regard to parts (1) to (3) inclusive, of the Deputy's question, the following is the position — under the family planning legislation health boards are obliged to make a family planning service available. The boards themselves may provide this service or by way of an arrangement with other organisations. The grant aiding of these organisations varies between the health boards and the following table shows the organisations which received grants in respect of the years 1989 and 1990:

Board	Organisation	1989	1990
		£	£
Southern	Tralee Family Planning and Women's Health Clinic Ltd.	9,000	15,000
	National Association of the Ovulation Method in Ireland	4,000	4,000
	Family Life Centre, Cork.	500	500
	Catholic Marriage Advisory Council	10,000	10,000
Eastern	National Assocaition of the Ovulation Method in Ireland	20,000	16,500
	Catholic Marriage Advisory Council	33,000	33,000
Mid-Western	Limerick Family Planning Clinic Ltd.	4,000	4,000
	Newcastlewest Family Planning and Women's Health Clinic	2,000	2,000
North-Western	Letterkenny Women's Centre Co. Ltd.	10,500	7,600

With regard to the funding of the Irish Family Planning Association which has been raised by the Deputy, the position is that the association is funded directly by my Department. A grant of £5,000 was paid to the association in respect of 1989. The application from the Irish Family Planning Association Limited for a grant in respect of 1990 is under consideration.

With regard to parts (4) and (5) of the question, grants have been made by my Department and by the health boards for natural family planning to the National Association of the Ovulation Method in Ireland and the Couple to Couple League. The National Association of the Ovulation Method in Ireland in its centres throughout the country, teaches and promotes natural family planning methods to couples. It also provides services such as pregnancy testing, menopause and fertility advice, pre-marriage courses and makes available an "Education for Life" programme to schools. As regards the health promotion unit, information on family planning currently available from that unit is being reviewed in the context of the proposed changes in the family planning legislation.

General practitioners participating in the general medical services scheme provide, as part of their services, information and advice in relation to family planning.

As regards vasectomy and tubal ligation operations, the position is that where these procedures are deemed necessary for medical reasons they are considered part of a hospital's normal activity and are performed on the same basis as any other medical procedure and according to the same eligibility criteria. Tubal ligation operations are available to women in every health board area.

The grants provided for family-marriage counselling in respect of the years 1989 and 1990 and the organisations which received them were as follows:

	1989	1990
	£	£
Catholic Marriage Advisory Council	137,675	112,675
Marriage Counselling Services Ltd.	11,000	42,000
		(£30,000 of which was for capital works)
Marriage and Family Institute (Clanwilliam)	10,000	10,000
Northside Counselling Service	—	4,000
Galway Family Guidance Institute	10,000	10,000