Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A few direct questions have been asked. Absolutely, we will share the advice. There will be legal advice. We cannot share Attorney General advice. My understanding is that we can share departmental advice. It is an analysis as opposed to a lawyer's opinion, and what we would all understand to be legal advice. I am happy to share whatever I can in that regard. What is probably more useful to us is the departmental advice. It has gone through it section by section and has worked through many of the challenges there are with the Bill. As I said, it has done much work and is engaging with the Department of Justice.

I want to go further than sharing the advice. As I said at the start, I want to go through the Joint Committee on Health in the first instance.If the Joint Committee on Health has not the time we will convene an all-party group to meet to not only share the advice, but I want the officials to present the advice, present the challenges, and I want a very open conversation across the parties, both those who agree and disagree. This is complex, so share the advice, yes, but let us go much further and get this either in public session or closed session, I do not mind. Whatever moves this quickest.

Of course we can share it outside the Oireachtas. We want to get as many people involved in solving this as quickly as possible. I agree with Senator Boyhan's point in regard to listening to women. We have to listen to women and to our clinicians. That is one of the reasons it is very important that some initial feedback on the consultation on the review of termination of pregnancy is important. It is quite a wide consultation and we would be well advised to make sure that we are getting that in for consideration, so that we are hearing from women and from clinicians.

For anyone in civil society or anyone outside the Oireachtas, one of the strands of the termination of pregnancy review is a public consultation so anyone can have an input and have his or her voice heard through that strand. I reiterate that it is important that, where women are being intimidated, or feel threatened, they contact the Garda. In some cases they may not do so. These are situations where women are going through incredibly difficult situations, they are under intense pressure and it is not an obvious thing. They might just want to get in or get out and get home. I fully understand that. For those who can, it is very useful to contact the Garda. Indeed there may well be cases, if An Garda Síochána is contacted it allows a complaint to be responded to. An Garda Síochána believes it has comprehensive powers right now. I encourage anyone that where it is appropriate - and I know it is not always so - to contact the Garda.

In regard to the timing, we are not going to be in a position to do pre-legislative scrutiny. There is a step before that which is what we have been discussing today. I have asked the Joint Committee on Health to meet within the next four weeks. As soon as I hear back from the Joint Committee on Health, if it is not possible for the committee to meet, within a week or two we will convene an all-party group straightaway. I would say in about four weeks from now. I will ask the Department to put together some detailed notes that can be shared for that discussion and then either the Joint Committee on Health or an all-party group will convene and meet in about four weeks to move this along.