IVF funding and assisted reproduction
Deputy Fitzpatrick pressed for the assisted human reproduction Bill and funding for IVF, citing the cost burden on a constituent. After repeated chair interventions to keep to the principle, the Taoiseach said the Government intended to legislate and fund the area, noted it is currently unregulated, and said some existing support already exists through tax offsets.
One in six Irish couples struggle with fertility. There is no public system to allow for in vitro fertilisation, IVF, treatment. This Government has committed, from 2019, to funding IVF treatment for couples unable to conceive. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has stated that the assisted human reproduction Bill will regulate the area regarding the support that will be provided from 2019. The Minister has also stated that financial assistance will be available to families. A woman approached my constituency office only last week. She has been married for the past five years and is 39 years old. She and her husband have been trying to have a child for the last five years. She had €30,000 in the bank and has spent all of that on trying to have a child. I am pleading with the Minister as a father and a grandfather who knows what joy and pleasure a child can bring. When is this Bill going to come before the House? I urge that the normal person, who may not have a medical card, not be stopped-----
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We just need the principle of the question which is when is the Bill coming before the House.
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Please do not let the normal person who has not got a medical card-----
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Deputy Fitzpatrick's time is up. The principle of the question is when is the Bill coming before the House.
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Please do not let people without medical cards only receive the support.
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Middle class people need to be looked after. This woman and her husband have spent over €30,000-----
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There is no point in the Deputy repeating himself. There are others behind Deputy Fitzpatrick. It is a simple question for the Taoiseach. When is the Bill coming before the House?
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I acknowledge that the Deputy has raised this important question. All of us know from our personal lives or from our constituents that a large number of people have to spend a lot of money to access IVF treatment. The Government's objective is to legislate for it. We do not have any legislation governing assisted human reproduction in Ireland. It is an unregulated area, which is far from ideal because people can be exploited on occasions and we want to make sure we bring in some form of funding for it. There is already some support in that medicines and clinical expenses can be offset against income tax but that is only 20%. I believe the legislation has gone to pre-legislative scrutiny but we do not have a date for publication.