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

This type of information is currently completely unregulated. As the Deputy knows, anonymous donations are accepted in this country. That means, in effect, that a child has no access to genetic information. This Bill and the new AHR Bill make it absolutely clear that as a policy and principle a child has the right to have access to that information. It is the first time we are including in legislation the very relevant point the Deputy made, that is, that a child is entitled to have access to that information. There will be a change in the regulations from anonymous to non-anonymous so that a child will have access to genetic information.

The Bill is very clear in its provisions on consent. The rules on donor consent in respect of parentage will state it must be given very clearly. The kind of information which must be kept will be very clear in the consent forms, which will have to be developed under regulations. There is an issue around the arrangement to develop and record the information, and I have spoken about how the records will have to be kept by the relevant clinics. The information will have to be gathered and available. The issue of consent is relevant to this discussion.

A register of information will have to be kept in the Department of Health to begin with, but will then move to the new authority when it is established. Much like having access to adoption information, procedures and information such as these are very sensitive. It would be the responsibility of parents to share this information. Parents will know that their children are entitled to this information. In the same manner as adoption, the best practice is to tell a child at an early stage that he or she is adopted. We are moving towards more open adoption. As in the case of adoption, in cases of assisted human reproduction the best practice, as I have been informed based on a review of the international literature, is that the more open parents can be with children, the better the outcome.

As the Bill progresses, we will have the same sort of supportive system we would like to have for those seeking information on adoption. The Minister, and eventually the authority, will develop procedures on that information. The information applies to those who are 18 years of age, but this provision deals with non-identifying information. It will be available before that. One would expect and demand that clinics keep all relevant medical information on a donor.

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