Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his initial reply to this group of questions. I also welcome the plan to hold a referendum. Should that referendum produce a "Yes" vote, then the committee system will be reformed. In that context, I welcome the pre-enactment and post-enactment stages it is proposed to introduce. The latter will ensure that Ministers will be obliged to return to the House a year after legislation has been enacted in order to provide an update on its implementation. That is an important development.

The Taoiseach referred to how the committees will work in the future. Numerous experts, bodies and groups came recently before the Joint Committee on Health and Children to comment on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. How will the new committee system improve upon that which is already in place? A great deal of time was spent discussing that Bill, the debate on which is beginning to come to an end. The Taoiseach referred to the committee system which obtains in Finland. Is it possible that a similar system might be brought into operation here?

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