I propose to take Questions Nos. 1296, 1492, 1634 and 1929 together.
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Section 7 of the Act states that “The Minister shall, not later than 3 years after the commencement of this section, carry out a review of the operation of this Act”.
The review is scheduled to be progressed in 2021 and will be overseen by my Department. It is anticipated that it will take a three-part approach to reviewing the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation. Research to inform the service user and service provider strands will be commissioned and carried out independently, while the Department will manage the public consultation, and collate and analyse the findings of the different strands of the review.
Upon completion a full report, with any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to me, as Minister, for consideration.