Vol. 539 No. 3
66 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the call made by a person (details supplied), that the morning after pill should be made available without prescription in order to reduce the number of women travelling to the UK for abortions; his response to the call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19217/01]
I am aware of the reported statement of the person concerned.
I have been informed by the Irish Medicines Board, which is the competent authority for the licensing of medicinal products, that an application for authorisation in respect of a product with this indication was received in June 2000 but withdrawn sometime later. Legal advice in this area has been sought by the IMB.
As the competent authority, it is a matter for the board, in the first instance, to make a recommendation to my Department as to whether there should be a change in the legal classification of this or any other medicinal product that the board may authorise for placing on the market in this country.
In relation to the general issue of crisis pregnancy, the establishment of an agency to prepare and oversee the implementation of a national plan to combat crisis pregnancy is among the matters at present under consideration by the Cabinet Committee of which I am chairman.
