Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2021
211. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the dialogue that has been conducted between his Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with respect to the regulation of surrogacy in this State; the detail of the proposed committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas that will be established to examine this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54896/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research is ongoing by officials in my Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. This legislation encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in this jurisdiction, including domestic surrogacy.
Publication of the AHR Bill is a priority for my Department and the Government, and a commitment to enact this legislation is included in the Programme for Government, “Our Shared Future”. This Department will continue to engage intensively with the Office of the Attorney General in order to finalise this complex legislation. My Department engaged with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on many aspects of the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, including in respect of domestic surrogacy, prior to its publication in October 2017, and this engagement has continued during the ongoing drafting process. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health published the report of its review of the General Scheme in July 2019, as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process, which began in January 2018. The Committee made 11 main recommendations, which included proposals in relation to surrogacy, and these recommendations have also been taken into consideration as part of the drafting process.
Issues which arise from the undertaking of surrogacy arrangements in other jurisdictions concern areas of law that intersect across the remits of several Government Departments and require detailed examination. My Department is engaging with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in respect of these matters as well. Overall, the provisions outlined within the Bill will ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way and with the necessary oversight.
