Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. What is going on here? I see from the reply that departmental officials have been considering this proposal and the Minister hopes to bring it to Cabinet shortly. It is now April. He said he was going to do it by the end of 2023. The Minister of State referred to the pregnancy loss report. We have been given to understand that the Minister is keen to legislate. I would like to hear what is actually happening within the Government. Is Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael blocking the legislation? Has the Minister lost heart in terms of progressing the amendment to the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act, and the legislation relating to leave proposals for pregnancy loss, as raised by the Minister of State in his response? We need to have a clear understanding at this stage as to what exactly is going on within the Government. It is not good enough to say that the Minister is bringing proposals to the Cabinet shortly. Frankly, that provides no assurance to the Irish Cancer Society and to those women. I think of Erica Tierney, Mary Canavan and Emma McGuinness who were so brave in telling their stories about what exactly happened them when they were diagnosed with cancer during their pregnancy. It was such a traumatic time. Frankly, it is not good enough to hear this morning that the proposal will be brought to Cabinet shortly. We need concrete detail from the Minister of State as to when the Bill will be brought to the Cabinet and when it will be commenced so that it can take effect for people out there.