Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

An interesting point which, to my shame, I had not thought about was referenced by Senator Seery Kearney. That point relates to the maternity leave aspect of the issue. I am interested to hear from Ms Nic Dhomhnaill in that regard. Will she give us context about the attachment between mothers and their babies, and the benefits that mothers, in particular, gain during maternity leave?

I note that in her opening statement Ms Nic Dhomhnaill spoke about all legal privileges that are not currently with children born through surrogacy. She mentioned, in particular, inheritance rights. Perhaps this is a premature question when surrogacy is still relatively new, but do we have any information as to whether there is a psychological impact on children who may not feel fully part of a family?

Dr. Muldoon outlined two further and clear recommendations in his statement. He suggested we should include provision for children born through international surrogacy arrangements and the retrospective assignment of parentage. As a result of any research his office has carried out on that matter, has Dr. Muldoon guidance to offer us as to how that could be best achieved through the committee and its recommendations?