Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I think he is jumping the gun a bit here. The review was commissioned by the Government, as we were mandated and required by the Oireachtas to do. I thank Marie O'Shea for the thorough job she has done. The report is only being published today and people will have a chance to read it. In fairness to her, she has done a very thorough job. All that the Government has decided is to refer the operational aspects to the HSE for implementation and the proposed legislative changes, not proposed by the Government but by the reviewer, to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health for further consideration. We have made no decision whatsoever on any of those legislative proposals. It will now sit with the Oireachtas committee. It will have a chance to consider it and make a report back to the Government, and we will consider it then.

I would anticipate, not for every party but certainly for my party and I think for Fianna Fáil and perhaps Sinn Féin and other parties as well, that this will be a free vote and a vote of conscience for people.

It will not be the case that it is the Government but, like I say, we are pushing many steps ahead here.

See this speech in context