Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will read the statement that has been provided by the Minister's office and I will refer to some of the issues the Senator has raised. The Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 reforms and updates family law to address the needs of children living in diverse family types. As Senator Warfield is aware, the Minister for Health is responsible for the commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of the 2015 Act and associated regulations. As well as making regulations in respect of donor assisted human reproduction procedures, Parts 2 and 3 of the Act make provision for children conceived through the assistance of a donor. This includes mandating for non-anonymous donation and the establishment of a national donor-conceived person register to enable children to access information on their donor and genetically related siblings when they come of age, should they wish to do so. These provisions were specifically included in the Act to underpin the rights of the child under Article 42A of the Constitution of Ireland's commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to have information on their genetic heritage.Parts 2 and 3 also provide legal clarity on parental rights and responsibilities. While matters such as the registration of births are not directly encompassed within these parts of the Act, the Minister recognises that the commencement of Parts 2 and 3 is necessary for provisions in these areas to be fully effected. I assure the Senator that the commencement of Parts 2 and 3 is a matter that the Minister for Health wants to address as soon as possible. Officials in the Department of Health are preparing draft regulations to facilitate the commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 and they are working to resolve a small number of technical issues to ensure that the processes associated with parts 2 and 3 of the Act can be commenced. I will address other issues that the Senator raised when I reply again.