This morning, Irish Families Through Surrogacy gave me a letter to give to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health seeking support for urgent legislation on international surrogacy. I have met, outside the gates of Leinster House and previously, families from Carlow and Kilkenny impacted by this issue and I support them. There are reports the Government will delay the assisted human reproduction Bill because of technical legal issues. Will this legislation recognise and allow for international and compensated surrogacy which is guided by best practice? I would appreciate knowing the expected timeline for the publication of the Bill. Enactment of this legislation is committed to in the programme for Government. The Bill must be published as a matter of urgency to give legal recognition to children born through surrogacy and to their families. I hope the Tánaiste will support these families and hear their concerns on the urgency and particulars of this legislation.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge that legislation on assisted human reproduction and international surrogacy is long overdue. Many Members have been lobbied in respect of this issue in recent weeks. It is complex. There are complex legal and ethical questions that arise in respect of for-profit surrogacy services, children being moved from other countries to this country and the right to know who one's biological parents are. There are many very complicated ethical issues that have to be resolved, particularly in the context of our difficult history in respect of adoption and women giving up their children and so on.

We must get this right. There has been substantial work done and engagement on this issue since the formation of the Government, involving the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Attorney General. In the coming weeks a memorandum will be brought to Cabinet proposing how to consider the issues relating to international surrogacy and how subsequently to introduce any legislative change. It will be a joint memorandum from the Departments of Justice; Health; and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It will propose the establishment of a time-limited special joint Oireachtas committee to consider the issue, including the issues arising from commercial international surrogacy, and to report with recommendations.