An activist academic who has has long backed radically liberalising Ireland’s laws on surrogacy and assisted human reproduction has been appointed the chairperson of the board of the new fertility regulator.

The regulating body’s purpose is to police Ireland’s burgeoning fertility industry to ensure that exploitative practices do not become endemic.

Deirdre Madden, of the School of Law at University College Cork (UCC) is a specialist in healthcare law and ethics, holding a Master’s degree in surrogacy and a PhD in the law relating to assisted human reproduction (AHR).

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “Establishing the AHRRA [Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority] brings essential oversight to this important part of the health service.

“Professor Madden has extensive expertise in healthcare law and ethics, including assisted human reproduction and surrogacy, bioethics, patient safety, and healthcare regulation”.