Publicly funded fertility treatment plan before Cabinet but with restrictions on BMI, age

Couples would be given access to publicly funded fertility treatments but with restrictions on several grounds – including body mass index (BMI) and age – under plans to be considered by the Government on Tuesday.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is to brief the final Cabinet meeting before the summer break on his plans to provide publicly funded assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatments for couples struggling to conceive a child, in a move that would be a first in the State.

Under the plans, the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services would commence from September. The HSE is finalising arrangements with private clinics, with some €10 million put aside in the budget last year to develop the scheme.

The programme envisages one IVF cycle being publicly funded for couples who have had no or only one privately funded cycle – with up to three cycles of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) treatment covered for those it is deemed clinically appropriate for.

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However, it is expected that access to the programme will be dictated by a number of criteria, which will be announced after Mr Donnelly updates his fellow Ministers.

These include that couples must have a known clinical cause of infertility, limits on maximum age, BMI and the number of existing children a couple has. These criteria were recommended by a working group of clinical experts. A Government source said access criteria form part of public funding for IVF in other jurisdictions.

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With several regulatory and clinical issues still to be finalised, public funding for some services will be rolled out on a phased basis – for example, treatments involving the use of donated material will not be funded until necessary legislation is passed.

The Cabinet is dealing with an extensive agenda as the Government prepares to take a break over the summer, with no further meetings currently planned until August 29th.

Energy market

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan will brief the Cabinet on plans to sign two memorandums of understanding with the UK on the energy market. One covers planned co-operation on renewable energy, and the other relates to striking a political deal ensuring that Irish and UK energy users would be hit evenly by “pain sharing” measures in the event of a gas supply crisis.

With Ireland heavily dependent on energy imports and gas-fired plants generating much of the State’s electricity supply, fears grew last year that, in the event of a supply crunch, gas supplies which come into the State through an interconnector from Scotland could be “turned down” in favour of improved security of supply for the mainland UK market.

Rail review

Mr Ryan will also bring the first draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which has 30 recommendations to overhaul the rail system. These include faster speeds, improved frequency and new routes – particularly across the west and north of the country.

Refugee facility

Minister for Education Roderic O’Gorman is to tell Ministers that he intends to open negotiations to extend the deal for the Citywest processing facility for refugees and asylum seekers.

He is expected to say that costs for the modular accommodation programme for people fleeing here have risen by €82 million to €237 million. He is also to brief Ministers on the master plan for the remembrance centre for former residents of Magdalene laundries, which is to be set up on Seán McDermott Street in Dublin, and on the transposing of the European Accessibility Act.

Regional Health Areas

Mr Donnelly is to update the meeting on the planned switch to Regional Health Areas under the Sláintecare healthcare reform strategy.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin is to seek approval to send 10 Defence Forces personnel to take part in a “live” EU crisis management exercise in October as part of the bloc’s Strategic Compass.

Cabinet is also due to be briefed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the work programme for the Child Poverty and Wellbeing unit set up in his department.

Flood aid

Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney is to bring a memo on fast-tracking emergency aid for businesses flooded in Co Donegal last Saturday.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris is to update the Cabinet on the development of design standards for purpose-built student accommodation.

Minister for Education Norma Foley is to seek Government approval for an updated action plan on implementing the O’Keeffe v Ireland judgment of the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Martin and Mr Ryan are to seek approval for joint procurement with the UK for lighthouse authorities to continue after Brexit.