Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of the task force. Numerous bodies, statutory and otherwise, have examined this issue over many years, dating back to the early 1990s. The reason the Government formed the view that the recommendation of the task force was challenging was informed by the eighth amendment, and the advice sought on the eighth amendment from the Attorney General, which concluded that a constitutional provision was not preferable to leaving these matters entirely in the hands of the elected representatives in the Oireachtas.