Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact this Bill has been published and that progress has now been made on setting standards around accessing rights when it comes to IVF, surrogacy and the complex matters connected to them. This is a positive development and is welcome for many families. We must ensure it is subject to careful examination as it makes its way through the Oireachtas in order that we do full justice for many families out there.

An important point to note here is that while the Bill does not deal with international surrogacy arrangements, this will be examined by the recently established Special Joint Committee on International Surrogacy. The work the committee will undertake is of vital importance to many families and I trust that when the committee issues its recommendations, those recommendations will be listened to and the witness accounts the committee hears will be acted on. We must not see a repeat of what we have seen with the recommendations of other committees in which lip-service is paid but preconceived ideas are followed through instead.

Sinn Féin has always stressed the need for a regulatory framework which upholds the rights of children born through surrogacy. This is a move in the right direction.

While this Bill will assist so many families, we need clarity that the parental and guardianship rights of children born through surrogacy will apply to families which already exist. We cannot allow any more inconsistencies or shortcomings in the areas of rights to continue into the future. As I said, certainty from the Minister is needed in the area of retrospective parentage. Any such shortcomings can have consequences down the line, both foreseen and unforeseen.

This Bill is also important from the perspective of non-surrogacy AHR, such as IVF. Ireland is the only state in the EU that does not offer publicly-funded IVF treatment. As a result, the high costs couples are faced with are a matter of great concern and can mean the difference as to whether they can plan to have a family of their own or not.

In 2017, the cost of a single IVF cycle in Ireland was between €4,100 and €5,900 and the cost of an intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI, treatment was between €5,200 and €6,400. The Minister knows precisely the cost facing parents who find themselves facing this challenge.

In publishing the Bill, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, said, "The commencement of the AHR legislation will also allow us to progress the ... plan to introduce the provision of advanced AHR treatment, including IVF, in the public health system, specifically through the final phase of the roll-out of the Model of Care for Infertility." We, therefore, need certainty that the Government will fully implement the model of care for infertility and a timeline through which we can ensure patients always receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention. This assurance needs to be provided for those who require and are eligible for advanced treatment, such as IVF, and are able to access the same through the public health service.

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