Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I would not agree with the Deputy’s assessment of the Government's position. I would argue that the Irish people did take a fundamental decision on the repeal of the eighth in a referendum, but that followed a significant level of constructive engagement, informed engagement, and a listening exercise within the then Oireachtas Committee on Health – it may have been the Committee on Health and Children at the time. Many people made presentations to that Oireachtas committee, which was considering the then Citizens Assembly's recommendations, and proposals emerged from that Oireachtas committee which were then put to the people. I would argue that that process, which I thought was respectful of people's positions, and was a substantive process and an informed process, led to a very significant majority, ultimately, in the context of a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment.

As part of that, we put legislation before the people saying to the people what we intended to implement if the referendum was passed. We have been true to that in that we commissioned the review and the review has now been published. We are doing exactly the same as we did prior to the referendum and we are referring it to the Oireachtas health committee. We not putting it on the long finger but it does need examination as to the legislative aspects. There are significant operational recommendations in the review which are now being progressed by the Health Service Executive because they relate to operational issues, but the issues with the report itself deserve significant, substantive and informed consideration by the Oireachtas before legislative proposals are contemplated. I think that is fair. I think it is in line with how we handled this issue prior to it going to the referendum.

In my view, the immediate priority must be to expand the availability of termination services in hospitals and then the uneven geographic spread of GPs providing the service. I understand the HSE is saying to us that it will significantly increase the number of hospitals that are obliged under legislation to provide the services and that, to me, would be a more immediate priority, along with ensuring that we have greater, more geographical coverage of the provision of such services within the country itself.

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