Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I ask the Leader of the House to invite the Minister for Health to come to the House to make a statement on the current status of the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction. That body was commissioned in 2005 and its members comprised eminent people under the chairpersonship of Professor Dervilla Donnelly. The report of the commission contained 35 recommendations and it was presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health in 2005 or 2006. Since that, however, I have heard nothing about it. It is not satisfactory that there is no statutory regulation governing an activity that is happening in this country. There should be legislation. Indeed, the Minister at the time did say there was no statutory regulation in the area of assisted reproduction and that this was not satisfactory. In advance of the Government framing such a regulation, which it will refer to the Joint Committee on Health and Children, I ask that the Minister would come to the House and make a statement on assisted human reproduction, because the self-regulation that exists at the moment, under the Irish Medical Organisation, is not satisfactory. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, is currently removing self-regulation from solicitors, barristers and so on. The same should be done in the area of assisted reproduction. I request that the Minister be asked to come to the House and make a statement on this.