Free condoms being made available from vending machines is among the proposals being considered to increase access to contraception.

Health Minister Simon Harris has confirmed funding has been provided to the HSE to make condoms more freely available in 2019.

It comes in the wake of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment last year, which as an ancillary recommendation called for free access to the 'most effective method of contraception'.

The committee's report recommended a scheme to make it "free of charge and having regard to personal circumstances, to all people who wish to avail of them within the State".

Free condoms are already available in some locations, including many third-level institutions.

Minister Harris today explained that the HSE is looking into the most effective ways of distributing them more widely, including through vending machines in public places such as pubs and nightclubs.

He explained: "We all want to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies in our country - nobody wants to find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. We want to promote safer sex, and we want to reduce the number of STIs in our country.

"I have provided for the HSE, through their service plan, to increase the availability of condoms in 2019. My department and the HSE will now do some research on how best to distribute them.

"They already do have a distribution through our third level institution and certain at risk groups, and one of the possibilities they'll look at is vending machines available in public places."

He also said officials want to look at the issue of female contraception - saying legislative changes will be needed if they want to expand its availability to women without a medical card.

"That will be one of my legislative priorities for 2019 - to make sure there's greater availability of access to female contraception as well," he added.