Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2000

Vol. 522 No. 3

Written Answers. - Family Planning Services.

Emmet Stagg

Question:

23 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make family planning services available, free of charge, to all women in the State, as recommended in the Government commissioned report Women and Crisis Pregnancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18552/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

Family planning services are available free of charge to medical card holders. I have no plans at present to extend this arrangement to non-medical card holders.

When the Women and Crisis Pregnancy report was published in 1998, the view of my predecessor as Minister was that it would not have been appropriate to publish a major report containing recommendations while the consultation process leading to the preparation of the Green Paper on Abortion was under way. The report, as published, did not therefore contain recommendations but rather findings and conclusions, based on the research undertaken. These detailed conclusions are contained in chapter 9 of the report, copies of which are in the Library.