Health minister Simon Harris has announced a new fund to pay for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment for couples struggling to have children.

The Department of Health says €1m has been allocated to the fund in 2019 and the minister has asked Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, to draw up proposals for how the scheme will be administered.

One in six Irish couples struggle with fertility, according to government estimates, but IVF treatment is currently available only to private patients and no specific legislation has been enacted to regulate the sector. The funding will allow couples to get treatments costing up to €4,500.

Harris brought a Heads of Bill — a draft setting out key objectives — on the regulation of IVF treatment and assisted