An Oireachtas committee is to be set up to examine international surrogacy and make proposals for new laws in the area. In practice, this will likely mean recognising commercial surrogacy which many countries ban as a form of baby-buying.

At present in Ireland there is little regulation of surrogacy, and under Irish law the surrogate mother, who gives birth, is considered the legal mother of the child. Currently most surrogacies involve parents entering into commercial arrangements with women outside of the State, often from countries such as Ukraine.

The special committee will be tasked with producing a report within three months, setting out recommendations for the regulation of the area, at which point Ministers will consider what legal changes may be required.