Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1155. To ask the Minister for Health the status of his Department's work regarding the use of surrogacy in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17383/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, 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, is ongoing by officials in my Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. I can assure the Deputy that publication of this legislation is a priority for my Department and the Government, and a commitment to enact this legislation is included in the Programme for Government, “Our Shared Future”.

This comprehensive legislation encompasses the regulation, for the first time in Ireland, of a wide range of practices, including domestic surrogacy.

The surrogacy provisions outline the specific conditions under which surrogacy in Ireland will be permitted, including a requirement for all surrogacy agreements to be pre-authorised by the AHR Regulatory Authority, the establishment of which the Bill will provide for. The legislation also sets out a court-based mechanism through which the parentage of a child born through surrogacy may be transferred from the surrogate (and her husband, if applicable) to the intending parent(s).

Overall, the aim of the AHR legislation is to promote and ensure the health and safety of parents and others involved in the process (such as donors and surrogate mothers), while, most importantly, consideration of the welfare and best interests of children born as a result of AHR is a key principle underpinning the legislation.