I welcome this legislation that progresses the free contraception available for those aged 17 to 35 and will allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptive medicines and products. What annoys me is to see that the Government has said the pharmacies will set their fees locally. This is not good enough and this is not free contraception. There has to be something put in place to ensure that the contraceptive is actually free when somebody goes to the counter to purchase it. Pharmacists are entirely capable of providing enhanced care beyond that which they currently do. It is a positive step. Of course, when we ask more of our pharmacists it is incumbent upon them to ensure they are adequately supported, which is not happening at the moment and is not going to happen with this legislation. I hope that this measure does not become like the HRT and blister packs we have seen in the past. When the Minister fails to do the groundwork, the roll-out can be unnecessarily delayed. A related issue is that the free contraceptive scheme is still limited to women aged 17 to 35. Did the Government forget about the women who can still get pregnant right into their menopausal years? It is a big failure that it did not recognise that and forgot the women from 35 to 50 years of age. Last August I described the pace at which it is being rolled out as woefully inadequate. That was in response to the Minister answering a parliamentary question I placed seeking information on the expansion of the scheme by alluding to pilot schemes and referencing the annual budget process. The scheme was first introduced in 2022 and limited to those aged between 17 and 32. The increase to 35 in 2024 was woefully inadequate. Now, in 2026 we are still in the same place. That suggests there is no political will. I appeal to the Minister of State to make this a priority and let us dispense with the listless and lethargic pace we have seen to date. Women's health deserves to be embedded as a core service across pharmacy and community services. Not enough is being done for endometriosis. The Minister of State suggests that the pill is the solution; it is definitely not the solution. Endometriosis is a life-changing diagnosis and more needs to be done. Women with endometriosis are forced to go abroad. Ireland is nowhere near the point of providing vital care for women with endometriosis. The suggestion that free contraception is enough is a complete failure of this Government and I ask the Minister of State to rethink this and do more for women.

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