Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is a welcome response. As I said, the announcement in the budget of the first publicly-funded IVF treatment in the country is a landmark announcement. We need to see that happen. The nature of this area impacts on people who very much have time on their minds. Every Dáil session that goes by is a six-month period in people's lives. The Minister knows what I am saying. We are also hearing an increasingly coherent and strong voice coming from practitioners and medics in this area. I know that they have engaged with the Minister and have sent position papers to him, as they have to Opposition spokespeople. They have set out a wide range of recommendations on surrogacy and posthumous reproduction and on ensuring that the primary legislation does not restrict in any way, through its language, the development or use of ever-changing and ever-evolving treatments. There is a lot to take on there. If we can get this done by the end of the session, it would be most welcome.

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