Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is great that we are finally having our first meeting. Over the next number of months when we have all of our public meetings, it will be very helpful for everybody to listen in to all the various groups. Hopefully, we will dispel some of the myths that are out there in relation to surrogacy. As Deputy Higgins has said, there are many very genuine families going through the process. We are short on time and I know what it is like to be Chair, so I will be brief.

I want to ask the representatives of the Department of Justice about the difficulties it has claimed are presented by Professor O'Mahony's recommendations. I am aware that Ms O'Keeffe stated that the difficulties are described in the issues paper, but are there two or three specific difficulties that the Department sees with his recommendations? As Professor O'Mahony will be attending the second session, it would be helpful to know that. I have a question for the representatives of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on children who have already been born and are living here. Do the witnesses have any thoughts or opinions on whether there should be separate legislation or an instrument to deal with children who have already been born? I am very conscious of families that face potential difficulties in terms of a parent being sick or very real problems in the here and now and that perhaps cannot wait. I ask for the witnesses' thoughts in relation to that. I also want to ask, more generally, if any of the Departments have looked at other models or similar practices. There may not be time to get to that. Given that they were coming to this meeting, I am sure the witnesses looked at the position in other jurisdictions.

Where do they think we could take some work or examples from?