Pharmacists would be able to prescribe contraception under proposed legislation due to be considered by the Cabinet on Tuesday. The move follows a recent scheme enabling access to care for eight common conditions at pharmacies without needing to go to a doctor first.Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is expected to seek Government approval to publish the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026.The aim of the proposed legislation is to provide for pharmacy prescription of contraception under defined circumstances.Women will need to have been prescribed the contraception by a GP in the first instance, with repeat prescriptions allowed at a pharmacy. To offer the service to women under the Free Contraception Scheme (FCS), Carroll MacNeill needs to amend the scheme’s legal framework. The Department of Health has also prepared clinical protocols. Contraceptive products will be made available under a protocol where a patient meets clinical criteria such as weight and blood pressure levels and where a product was originally prescribed by their GP. Patients will still have the option to access repeat prescriptions through their GPs.The FSC is open to women aged 17-35 and covers the contraceptive pill, patch or ring as well as long-acting reversible contraceptives such as implants, injections or coils. The plan is also set to offer cost savings for patients who are not eligible for the FCS subject to fees set by their pharmacists.Meanwhile, the Housing Finance Agency’s (HFA) borrowing limit is to be increased from €13.5 billion to €15 billion under plans being brought to Cabinet by Minister for Housing James Browne. The HFA is a non-commercial semi-State company that provides low-cost finance to approved housing bodies, local authorities and higher education institutions to support the provision of social, affordable and student housing.The increased borrowing capacity is needed to enable the agency to continue to co-fund social and affordable housing.Separately, Irish businesses, researchers and public services would have access to artificial intelligence (AI) computing capacity under plans for the State to invest between €10 million and €20 million in the European Union’s AI Gigafactories initiative.Gigafactories are large-scale facilities dedicated to the development and training of next-generation AI models.Minister for Higher Education James Lawless is to seek approval for Ireland to participate in the initiative, which aims to ensure Europe is not reliant on US or Chinese technology giants for access to critical AI capabilities. Ireland would participate through a proposed investment in a French AI gigafactory.Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris is to update Cabinet on the latest review of mortgage arrears, which shows the numbers in arrears decreased from some 42,000 at the end of 2024 to fewer than 36,000 at the end of last year. The proportion of primary dwelling home mortgages in arrears of more than 90 days was 3.1 per cent at the end of last year, the lowest since 2009.Minister for Defence Helen McEntee will seek Government approval to continue Ireland’s participation in the Nato-led KFOR mission in Kosovo for a further 12 months. There are 13 Defence Forces personnel taking part in the mission. She will also bring a new Defence Strategy Statement to Cabinet, setting out an increased focus on maritime security.