Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 June 2021
468. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of the review required under section 7 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which is to take place in 2021; the process for this review; if a review group is being appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26618/21]
View answerThe 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 being progressed this year and will be led by an independent expert. 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, and a public consultation will be held.
Upon completion, a full report, with any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to me, as Minister, for consideration.
I have held a number of meetings with stakeholder groups to discuss the approach for the review; this will be finalised in due course.
