Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2022
89. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health his views on the exclusion of vulnerable individuals such as newly arrived asylum seekers, from access to abortion services without charge on the basis that they do not have a personal public service number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37248/22]
View answerIt is my priority to ensure that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is fully implemented, and is performing as it should be, to enable all women in Ireland to access termination of pregnancy services quickly and easily, without bias or judgment.
Termination of pregnancy services are free of charge to anyone who is ordinarily resident in the State. In the case of a vulnerable person including an asylum seeker looking to access the service, it is my understanding that in any situation where a person requires a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to access urgent or emergency medical services, but hasn’t yet been assigned one, the Department of Social Protection can and will allocate a PPSN for that purpose.
There is regular ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to facilitate the operation of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise and we will continue to ensure the positive rollout and enhancement of these healthcare services.
The Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which is currently underway will assess the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation. This purpose of the review is to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the legislation in practice, as well as of the delivery of services in the area.
