Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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250. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that when the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 is implemented, all assisted human reproduction treatments currently available in Ireland today will continue to be allowed and nothing in the Act will prohibit the use and development of new techniques and treatments in line with international best practices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47445/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 (AHR Bill) passed Second Stage in the Dáil on March 23rd 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage.

The focus of this Bill is on the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices undertaken in this jurisdiction.

Ireland is currently very much an outlier internationally and we do not have a specific regulatory framework in place in respect of this area of health care. This means that individuals are currently availing of complicated and sometimes risky procedures in what is effectively a legal vacuum.

Once enacted, this legislation will lead to a specific regulatory framework being put in place in respect of this complex, innovative and fast-moving area of medicine, which is currently predominately provided through the private sector. It will assist people to have children safely, clarify the legal position of children born from AHR, and ensure research and new reproductive technologies are carried out within a prescribed ethical context.

The provisions outlined within the AHR Bill generally will ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way and with the necessary oversight, but it is specifically the establishment of the AHR Regulatory Authority (or AHRRA) which is of central importance in this regard.

I am not certain as to whether the Deputy has specific types of AHR “techniques and treatments” in mind, but it is important to reflect that this regulatory framework will regulate how AHR treatments are provided. In the first instance, for example, the legislation provides for a licensing system in place and treatment providers will be required to hold the requisite licence in order to provide treatments. The AHRRA will oversee and monitor this system, including to ensure that providers operate within the scope of the law and their licence. This regulatory framework will help bring guidance, clarity and peace of mind to service users, as well as providers.

I wish to reiterate my commitment to progress this much-needed and long-awaited piece of historic legislation as quickly as possible to ensure that a robust regulatory framework for AHR is in place.