Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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1052. To ask the Minister for Health the status of legislation governing assisted human reproduction; the areas which will be covered by such legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24511/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, in February 2015, the Government gave its approval to my colleague Deputy Leo Varadkar, the then Minister for Health, to draft a General Scheme of legislative provisions dealing with assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated research. This comprehensive piece of legislation will regulate a range of practices for the first time, including: gamete (sperm or egg) and embryo donation for AHR and research; surrogacy; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of embryos; posthumous assisted reproduction; and stem cell research.

Officials in my Department are currently drafting the General Scheme and it is envisaged that it will be published in 2017. At that stage my Department will undertake a consultation process to seek the views of both the general public and stakeholder groups on the General Scheme. In addition, the General Scheme will be submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children for the purposes of pre-legislative scrutiny.