Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Senator. We are able to go around again. Deputy Costello sent his apologies. I do not believe Deputies Niamh Smyth or Murnane O'Connor are online. I have a question to follow on from what Senator Seery Kearney was asking. There is confusion about where this committee fits in with the process. Initially she said the AHR Bill was never intended to look at the issue of international surrogacy. Then she stated that this committee was set up in order to feed into the Bill. Now it seems the Bill is moving through the legislative process without our having met or made our recommendations. There is confusion as to the potential for our recommendations to feed into that Bill, if that Bill is intended to go to Committee Stage shortly. There would appear to be a requirement from the Department certainly to move quickly with the Bill. Where does the Department of Health see this committee fitting into the progress of the Bill?