David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I just want to make a number of remarks because this is a groundbreaking Bill. We have been through a very lengthy process and I genuinely do not believe that this Bill has been rushed or that we have done anything in haste. We have done our job very diligently. There was a lot of pre-legislative scrutiny. In fact, there was an Oireachtas committee that did a huge amount of work on this and I want to commend those involved, including my own colleague, Deputy Funchion, and the many others across all of the political parties and groupings who played their part in that work.

A lot of people are waiting for this Bill to pass because retrospective parental recognition is so important to them and they want to have that for their beautiful children, some of whom are in the Gallery this evening. I am sure others are watching online. Hopefully we can get this Bill passed and enacted as quickly as possible, while still doing our job, which is what people want us to do.

The Bill does an awful lot. It is a very lengthy Bill which deals with a lot of issues apart from some of those we discussed today. Those other important issues with which the Bill deals should not be forgotten. Obviously, one of the most important parts of the Bill is retrospective recognition but equally important is the putting in place of a new process for international surrogacy. That was not an easy undertaking. We are talking about something does not exist anywhere else in the world and we had to start from scratch. I do not envy the people who were involved. As I said earlier, on a number of occasions I have commended the Minister's officials and I want to do so again. It was a really powerful piece of work by everybody involved. I acknowledge the officials who are here today who did a huge amount of work on this. It is a phenomenal piece of legislation. The officials engaged very constructively with the Oireachtas health committee. They made themselves available to answer questions and address any concerns that we had. They went above and beyond the call of duty and I really thank them for that.

Even though there is an election coming up, I will also thank the Minister for his work and for bringing forward this legislation. Genuinely, it is a groundbreaking piece of legislation and is a credit to everyone who was involved in the process. We can all be immensely proud of what we have achieved. I really hope that this Bill is enacted as quickly as possible and that the parallel Bill to which the Minister referred will then come. I genuinely believe that was the best approach and I commend the Minister on taking it. Obviously, I look forward to that Bill being enacted at some point as well. This is a really big day for those who are waiting for this Bill to pass and again, I commend all of those involved.

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