Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to keep people too long before concluding but it would be remiss of me to come to the Chamber on a topic this sensitive and important without recognising the considerable work completed by Senator Sherlock and her group colleagues. I commend the Senator for her constructive actions this evening and throughout the period of the Bill's consideration. This was certainly the sentiment of my predecessor, Damien English, when he held this office.

Any couple that has been through a pregnancy and experienced a pregnancy loss, be it a mother and father or a mother and mother, will know how devastating it can be for a family. Very often, that devastation is particularly lonely. It is not shared widely, like the joy of childbirth. Unfortunately, it is borne alone or as a couple behind a closed door in so many cases. It requires an element of sensitivity that we have not seen to date in our legislative framework or in the workplaces we all know.

As Senator Dolan has mentioned, a great deal of progress has been made over the years, particularly through the Maternity Protection Acts but also through the Paternity Leave Act, which provides for paternity leave when a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks. However, I fully accept Senator Sherlock's point that this is nowhere near good enough or suitable enough.

Senator Sherlock has already referred to several issues related to the report commissioned by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and carried out by academics in both UCC and the University of Galway. I do not have the full report to hand.I have the explanatory memorandum to hand. We are at that stage and I am happy to share that with Senator Sherlock after this debate. As the Senator alluded to, the findings and recommendations arising from that report will be considered immediately by the Minister to look at the most appropriate legislative avenue to ensure we can achieve this. We have a shared goal. It is now about the Government working with all Senators to ensure that what we bring to the Dáil is legislatively robust and, most importantly, meets the needs of the people for whom we seek to care in this legislation. I use that term deliberately. This is caring legislation and a caring initiative. There were a couple of clarifications requested regarding fertility treatment. The Labour Party has been particularly ambitious in that area in providing legislative change. It is not something, as a member of the Government, that I can confirm but I can react. I appreciate that the time required to do that is pressing on.

To conclude, I thank those who contributed to this debate at this stage and previously in the Seanad. I look forward to continuing to work with my officials, the Minister's officials, the Senators present and their party colleagues in the Dáil to make sure we bring the robust ambitions of this legislation to fruition as quickly as possible.