Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see all the Wicklow Ministers here. We must pay tribute to our Chair, Deputy Whitmore, who worked so well with us all. The joint committee was about all of us working together as a group. It did not matter what parties we were members of. I too particularly mention Senator Seery Kearney who has worked on this and, as previous speakers said, has gone through this herself. It is important to give her a mention.

Today is about the families and the advocacy groups that have long called for a legal framework. Well done to all of them. It has been a long road, but I believe we are not too far off. It was an honour for me and the for the rest of the committee to meet the families, children and witnesses. We heard stories of love and of the hardship some families had gone through. We heard what changes we can make in this legislation. Today is about those families. It is great to see so many people here. When we first set up the committee, we did not know whether it fell within the remit of the Department of Health or the Department of Justice. We were trying to figure it out, but thank God we got there.

The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, spoke about timing and it is crucial here. I am aware there will have to be some final detail in the provisions of the Bill and that there will be challenges with that. However, the main thing is there is no confusion, barriers or excessive legal costs for all involved. We must ensure there is access for all couples. This is what we need to do. All of us working together can deliver on that. I was delighted too that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, said he will address the concerns around amendments on Committee Stage. That is good. Today is a really important day. As Deputy Whitmore said, it is great to be here today. We know we can do our best by every person, every surrogate, every family and every advocacy group that spoke to us. We were listening and we will work on their behalf.

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