HEALTH (PROVISION OF CONTRACEPTION PRESCRIBING SERVICE IN RETAIL PHARMACY BUSINESSES) ACT 2026

An Act to make provision to enable certain registered pharmacists in retail pharmacy businesses to issue prescriptions for certain contraceptive drugs, medicines and products; for that purpose, to amend the Health Act 1970, the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 and the Pharmacy Act 2007; and to provide for related matters.

[21st July, 2026]

Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:

1. Amendment of section 67E of Health Act 1970

1. Section 67E of the Health Act 1970 is amended—

• (a) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (2):

• “(2A) A retail pharmacy business may provide the services specified in paragraph (a)(ii) of the definition of ‘applicable services’ to a relevant woman.”,

• (b) in subsection (7)(a), by the substitution of “in respect of the provision” for “in respect the provision”, and

• (c) in subsection (11)—

• (i) in the definition of “applicable services”, by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a):

• “(a) such number of consultations—

  • (i) with a scheme provider specified in paragraph (a) of the definition of ‘scheme provider’ required by a woman in a year for the purposes of obtaining a prescription for accessing relevant products, or

  • (ii) with a scheme provider specified in paragraph (b) of the definition of ‘scheme provider’ in accordance with the terms of the agreement entered into between the scheme provider and the Health Service Executive for the purposes of obtaining a prescription for accessing relevant products,

  and”,

• (ii) in the definition of “pharmacy provider”, by the deletion of “(within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Pharmacy Act 2007)”,

• (iii) by the insertion of the following definition:

“ ‘retail pharmacy business’ has the same meaning as it has in section 2(1) of the Pharmacy Act 2007;”,

and

• (iv) by the substitution of the following definition for the definition of “scheme provider”:

“ ‘scheme provider’ means—

• (a) a registered medical practitioner who has entered into an agreement with the Health Service Executive for the provision of applicable services, or

• (b) a retail pharmacy business which has entered into an agreement with the Health Service Executive for the provision of the services specified in paragraph (a)(ii) of the definition of ‘applicable services’ by a registered pharmacist in the retail pharmacy business in accordance with regulations made under section 32(2)(l)(vi) of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995.”.

2. Amendment of section 32 of Irish Medicines Board Act 1995

2. Section 32 of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 is amended—

• (a) in subsection (2)(l)—

• (i) in subparagraph (iv)(III), by the substitution of “Pharmacy Act 2007,” for “Pharmacy Act 2007, or”,

• (ii) in subparagraph (v), by the substitution of “thereto, or” for “thereto,”, and

• (iii) by the insertion of the following subparagraph after subparagraph (v):

• “(vi) subject to subsection (11A), such medicinal product or class of medicinal products as may be used for the purpose of contraception, pursuant to a prescription issued by a registered pharmacist—

  • (I) who has reached the required standard of education and training in relation to prescribing such product or products in accordance with the rules of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland made under section 11(3A) of the Pharmacy Act 2007,

  • (II) where the prescription is issued under the governance of a retail pharmacy business (within the meaning of the Pharmacy Act 2007) in accordance with regulations made under section 18 of that Act, and

  • (III) in accordance with such other rules made under section 11 of the Pharmacy Act 2007, and codes of conduct drawn up under section 7(2)(a)(iii) of that Act, by the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland,”,

and

• (b) in subsection (11A), by the substitution of “subparagraph (iv), (v) or (vi) of subsection (2)(l)” for “section 32(2)(l)(iv) or (v)”.

3. Amendment of section 11 of Pharmacy Act 2007

3. Section 11 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 is amended—

• (a) in subsection (3A), by the substitution of “subparagraph (iv) or (vi) of section 32(2)(l) of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995” for “section 32(2)(l)(iv) of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995”, and

• (b) in subsection (3B)(a), by the substitution of “subparagraph (iv) or (vi) of section 32(2)(l) of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995” for “section 32(2)(l)(iv) of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995”.

4. Short title and commencement

4. (1) This Act may be cited as the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Act 2026.

• (2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister for Health may appoint by order or orders either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision and different days may be so appointed for different purposes or different provisions.