Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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157. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will confirm that at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 7 March 2013 the representative from Poland proposed the insertion into the Council’s statement to the effect that neither the European Convention on Human Rights nor the Court’s ruling in A, B and C v. Ireland obliged Ireland to introduce legislation permitting abortion; if he will confirm that this proposal was supported by representatives from other countries and that the Irish representative refused to support it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22332/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I understand the Deputy's question to relate to a question posed to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers by a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Luca Volontè in January this year. Following a discussion by the Ministers' Deputies a reply to Mr Volontè was agreed by consensus at a meeting on 13 March.

Article 21(a)(i) of the Statute of the Council of Europe provides that unless the Committee decides otherwise, meetings of the Committee of Ministers shall be held in private. Consequently, while the reply that issued is a matter of public record I am not in a position to disclose any information of the discussions that took place prior to the adoption of the reply to Mr Volontè. However, I can assure the Deputy that the Committee of Ministers acts in accordance with its mandate under the European Convention on Human Rights to ensure judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are fully implemented.