Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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320. To ask the Minister for Health the status or progress of a Bill (details supplied); when it is expected that this legislation will be passed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40909/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government approved the drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research based on the published General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill. This comprehensive and far-reaching piece of legislation encompasses the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of practices, including: altruistic domestic surrogacy; gamete (sperm or egg) and embryo donation for AHR and research; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of embryos; posthumous assisted reproduction; and embryo and stem cell research. In addition, the General Scheme provides for the establishment of an independent regulatory authority for AHR.

The drafting of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill is ongoing by my officials, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. Requirements arising from the Covid-19 pandemic response have affected the normal workstreams of relevant personnel in both the Department of Health and the Office of the Attorney General and therefore it is not possible at this time to give definitive timelines for the completion of the draft Bill and its subsequent passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas. However, a commitment to enact this legislation is included in the Programme for Government, “Our Shared Future”.

Overall, the provisions outlined within the General Scheme will ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way and with the necessary oversight. The aim of the AHR legislation is to promote and ensure the health and safety of parents and others involved in the process while, most importantly, consideration of the welfare and best interests of children born as a result of AHR is the key principle underpinning the General Scheme.