Infertility: Cabinet set to approve publicly-funded IVF and IUI fertility treatments 

Stephen Donnelly will bring forward a memo on State funding for in-utero fertilisation and intrauterine insemination treatment. Picture: iStock

Publicly funded fertility treatments are due to be approved by Cabinet on Tuesday.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring forward a memo on State funding for in-utero fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination treatment (IUI), with the scheme due to begin rolling out in September.

Likely limitations and criteria

It is understood that the funding will be made available to couples for one cycle of IVF. 

However, this will not be available if they have had more than one cycle of IVF through the private sector.

There will also be funding provided for couples to access up to three cycles of IUI, if they meet clinical criteria.

However, it is understood that there will be access criteria for the scheme, which include couples having a clinical cause of infertility as well as a limit on age, body mass index, and the number of children a couple has. These criteria were recommended by an expert group, it is understood.

Regulatory and clinical issues

Despite the scheme’s expected approval on Tuesday, there are several outstanding regulatory and clinical issues around particular fertility treatments. As a result, it is expected that public funding will be allocated on a phased basis.

Separately, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman is to update Cabinet on the progress of the deliveryof rapid-build modular homes for Ukrainian refugees.

It is understood that two sites will be completed and occupied by Ukrainian refugees in the coming weeks, with further sites due to be finished over the summer.

Mr O’Gorman will also bring a memo to Cabinet to introduce an EU directive to ensure that people with disabilities can access products and services across the bloc.

Taoiseach Leo Varadakar will update Cabinet on the establishment of a child poverty unit in his department.

EU military exercise

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin will seek approval to send 10 Defence Forces personnel to take part in a “live” EU crisis management military exercise in Spain this October. It is part of the EU’s Strategic Compass — a plan to strengthen security and defence policy by 2030.

This includes the development of an EU rapid deployment capacity that will allow the deployment of up to 5,000 troops for different types of crises. The Defence Forces received a request from the director general of the European Union military staff in February 2023 to take part in the training exercise in Cadiz, Spain.

The live exercise will see participants form an EU battle group-sized force in a simulated theatre of operations.

Co-operation on lighthouses 

The Tánaiste, together with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, will seek approval for an international agreement with the UK on continued joint procurement between the three general lighthouse authorities.

Safety of navigation around the coasts of Ireland and the UK is assured by three General Lighthouse Authorities; the Commissioners of Irish Lights for Ireland and Northern Ireland, Northern Lighthouse Board for Scotland, and Trinity House for England and Wales.

All three have used joint procurement which was straightforward when all under the same EU procurement regime but a new solution was needed after Brexit.

Rail review recommendations

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan will bring the draft report of the first All-Island Strategic Rail Review to Cabinet for information.

The review sets out 30 recommendations to transform the current rail system, with electrification, faster speeds, improved frequency, and new routes, particularly in the West and North.

These include increasing the frequency of services to at least hourly between major cities, enhancing rail capacity for freight, building the Limerick to Foynes railway, and starting the South Wexford Railway between Waterford and Rosslare Europort.

Enterprise, Trade & Employment Minister Simon Coveney will bring a fast-tracked memo to provide an emergency aid scheme to  businesses flooded in Donegal last Saturday.