The Joint Committee on International Surrogacy is due to complete its work over the coming weeks. I have been contacted by a number of concerned families, including some in my constituency, who are worried about recent comments by the Minister for Health in which he stated that it was agreed there would be amendments to the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 ready to go within 12 weeks. This is obviously concerning as neither that committee nor any committee has been tasked with drawing up amendments. The surrogacy committee was tasked with making recommendations and it is the Minister's job to draft amendments to give effect to those recommendations. May I have a commitment from the Taoiseach that the recommendations coming from the committee will be considered as part of amendments to the Bill?

To clarify, the recommendations are not amendments, as the Deputy noted.

The Minister said he would bring forward amendments. Obviously, the committee cannot draw up amendments.

However, the recommendations will obviously be considered, as would normally be done.

That was not specified by the Minister.

The recommendations have to be put into the form of amendments. If the recommendations were accepted by the Government and the Minister, they then have to be legalesed, so to speak, and put into the required amendments. I will pursue that with the Minister.

I thank the Taoiseach.