Minister for Health Mary Harney has announced the new board of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.
The new chair of the CPA is Katharine Bulbulia, who was Ms Harney's programme manager in Government from 1997 until this year.
Ms Bulbulia has also served as a member of Seanad Eireann, of Waterford County and City Councils and of the South-Eastern Health Board. She participated in a family placement scheme for women experiencing crisis pregnancies and was pro-active in the distribution of information in relation to contraception in the south-east.
Also appointed were Fergal Goodman of the Department of Health and Children; Helen Faughnan of the Department of Social and Family Affairs; Sally-Ann Flanagan, a councillor and mayor of Tuam; Anne Flood of the Centre for Nurse/Midwifery Education in Letterkenny; Rosemary Grant, a social worker with the Coombe hospital and Geraldine Luddy, director of the Women's Health Council.
The Crisis Pregnancy Agency was established by the Government to implement a strategy to help reduce the number of crisis pregnancies and a reduction in the number of women travelling to have their pregnancies terminated abroad. Its first strategy was published in 2003.
Ms Harney paid tribute to the outgoing board for its work.
"Under Olive Braiden as chair, in the five years since its establishment the CPA has worked very effectively, focusing on all aspects of crisis pregnancy and ensuring the development of high-quality services and supports," she said.