Abortion Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 March 2022

Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Questions (187)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

187. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason that the tendering process was not used to select the chair of the abortion review given that tendering allows for all citizens to apply on the basis of merit for State jobs; the reason that persons were excluded from applying for this State job; if he met with the chair of the abortion review prior to the selection process; the financial compensation that will be made to the chair of the review; if he received correspondence from any organisation suggesting recommending the current chair of the review; if so, the name of the organisation; if he received other recommendations for the post; if so, the name of each and the person or body that recommended them; and the organisations he met or corresponded with in relation to the post of chair of the review and the term of reference. [13183/22]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Under section 7 of the Act, a review of the operation of the Act must be initiated within three years of the commencement of the Act, i.e., before January 2022.

As I stated during my appearance before the Joint Committee on Health on 8 December, it was my intention to appoint an independent Chair to lead the second phase of the review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. 

As the costs involved in contracting an independent Chair to conduct the review were estimated as exceeding €25,000, the advice I received was that the Department was obliged under procurement rules to tender for the appointment. 

Given the expertise required for the position, a small number of candidates, identified as having suitable experience, were contacted and invited to tender for the role of independent Chair. This is in line with European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. No meeting with the appointed Chair took place prior to the selection process, nor were there recommendations made by any organisation.