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Assisted Human Reproduction

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021

Tuesday, 7 December 2021

Questions (502, 503, 504)

Matt Shanahan

Question:

502. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if international surrogacy will be excluded from the upcoming Assisted Human Reproduction Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59892/21]

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Matt Shanahan

Question:

503. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health when a clear timeline for legislation recognising international surrogacy alongside retrospective declaration of parentage will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59893/21]

View answer

Matt Shanahan

Question:

504. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if an organisation (details supplied) and its community will be invited to participate in future international surrogacy legislation in order to have positive input into the draft legislation to ensure no child is left behind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59894/21]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 to 504, inclusive, together.

As 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 altruistic 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 the coming weeks in order to finalise this complex legislation.

The draft Bill does not contain provisions to regulate surrogacy arrangements undertaken in other jurisdictions. Issues which arise from the undertaking of surrogacy arrangements and the assignment of retrospective parentage in other jurisdictions concern areas of law that intersect across the remits of several Government Departments and require detailed examination. My Department is continuing to engage with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in respect of these matters.

It should be noted that on September 30th last, relevant senior officials from the Department met with a number of representatives from the group to which you refer. Colleagues from the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth also attended this meeting. My officials have also separately engaged with representatives from that group on other occasions, as well as with other relevant stakeholders.

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