Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 July 2023
209. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health the reason for the discrepancy between the 6,683 combined termination procedure and aftercare claims under the primary care reimbursement scheme in 2021, whilst just 4,577 notifications of termination were officially received in 2021, which amounts to an unaccounted-for €947,700 being paid to abortion-performing doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33041/23]
View answerUnder Section 20 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, medical practitioners are required to notify the Minister, with prescribed details of a termination of pregnancy.
Under the Act, the Minister is required, not later than 30 June in each year, to prepare a report on the notifications received under section 20 during the immediately preceding year. The Minister is also required, as soon as may be after preparing the report, to cause copies of the report to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
The Report for 2021 was published on 13th July and covers the period 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2021. The overall notifications received by the department were substantially lower than observed in previous years, the total number of notifications received in 2021 was 4,577. This is substantially lower than that of 2020 (6,577) and 2019 (6,666). The Department has identified the lower notification numbers, and in the interest of openness and transparency, the Minister for Health has published a supplementary note highlighting the matter, with all of the available information.
In response to the lower number of notifications for 2021, the Department of Health has been engaging on an ongoing basis with the HSE to remind GP’s and hospitals of their obligation to return all notifications for termination of pregnancy as required under the Act.
