Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the Deputy's amendment is to ensure intending parents have counselling on the consequences of having a child through donor-assisted human reproduction before undertaking procedures. It is striking to consider the number of couples availing of fertility treatment here and I accept the Deputy's point on donor-assisted human reproduction.

As I indicated on Committee Stage, the Bill focuses entirely on one aspect of assisted and donor-assisted human reproduction, namely, parentage issues. Responsibility for the wider issues involved remains fully within the remit of the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar. On the day the Cabinet approved this Bill, it also gave the Minister permission to draft legislation on the wider area of assisted human reproduction, AHR, which has remained unregulated since 2005. This was a very welcome decision.

The Minister's proposal will deal with the wide range of AHR issues that need to be addressed. I will discuss later the large number of AHR issues which have not received any attention until now, all of which come within the remit of the bioethics unit of the Department of Health. This unit assumed responsibility for providing information to Cabinet, including the proposed heads of the Bill. The head of the unit has been working with my Department on the issues involved. The wider issues will be considered in the subsequent legislation.

The counselling of individuals or couples who are considering or planning treatment is very much within the policy area of the Minister for Health. His proposals in this regard, which were recently approved by the Government, include requirements that people availing of all forms of assisted human reproduction undergo counselling in advance of treatment. This has been accepted in principle. I have discussed these issues with clinicians involved in assisted human reproduction and they are very clear on the need for counselling. However, the clinics are not currently regulated. The Medical Council has developed guidelines to which the professionals adhere and each clinic has its own guidelines. We want to reach the position where national guidelines are implemented in the clinics.

I hope Deputy Mac Lochlainn will understand that while I support the principle underpinning his amendment, I cannot accept it because the Bill's scope in respect of assisted human reproduction is limited. The legislation to be introduced by the Minister for Health will address the issue he raises. Responsibility for matters such as the precise nature of counselling, the way in which counselling should be made available and how much counselling couples should avail of rests with the Department of Health. I give the Deputy a commitment that counselling will be addressed in the Bill to be introduced by the Minister for Health. The Government has accepted the Minister's proposal in principle. I ask the Deputy not to press the amendment in view of my response.

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