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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 2

Other Questions. - Report on Abortion.

John Bruton

Question:

110 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a draft copy of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution report on abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21823/00]

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

180 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a draft of the report on abortion from the chairperson of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution; if he has made any submissions to the chairperson as to the contents of the final report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21932/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 180 together.

The report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution has not yet been submitted to the Government. I have not received a draft copy of the report. I have not made any submission to the chairperson of the committee in relation to the content of its report.

Is the Government committed to a referendum on this issue?

As I have said on previous occasions, we await the presentation of the report to Government by the Oireachtas joint committee and we will consider that in its entirety.

Can I take it from the Minister's reply that the Government, therefore, is not committed to a referendum on this issue?

The Deputy cannot take that from my reply. Our position has been clear since the Oireachtas committee began dealing with this issue. We are awaiting the conclusion of that process. We will receive the report and the Government will then make a decision.

With regard to the publication date of the report, which was due out this week, will the Minister clarify that the reason for the delay of a further week is to ensure the report is not published before the annual conference of the Progressive Democrats Party? This is a serious question.

I cannot clarify that. Publication of the report is a matter for the Oireachtas joint committee, not the Executive.

Does the Government support the Taoiseach's view that there should be a referendum on this issue?

We support the Taoiseach on all issues. The Government and I will await the report from the Oireachtas joint committee and the Government will collectively take a decision on that.

Is the Minister's lack of willingness to respond clearly to the House due to the fact that the Progressive Democrats Party has indicated it will not support Fianna Fáil's stated position in regard to a referendum?

We have committees which deal with business and for time immemorial people have wanted to keep a clear dividing line between Oireachtas committees and the Executive. The full line of questioning has been to try to blur the distinction between an independent Oireachtas committee and the Executive. I am being consistent in terms of the Government's approach to this. We await the submission. The Deputy could clarify his position and that of his party before throwing stones at other parties in the House.

Does the Minister accept, if we accept his logic, that the Taoiseach should not have gazumped the committee by making his position clear in terms of holding a referendum? Is the Minister satisfied that the lives of women will be protected if the Taoiseach insists on pursuing his proposal for a referendum? Will the Minister protect the lives of pregnant women who are endangered by illness in the terms that have been declared to the Oireachtas joint committee by the masters of maternity hospitals in Ireland? He has a duty and obligation to protect the lives of patients. Will he ensure the lives of patients are protected in the context of the Taoiseach's decision, which he has already made in regard to a referendum, with further detail of that decision being clarified and made public?

The Government and I are committed to protecting life for all but in terms of the submission we must await the Oireachtas joint committee's report before we decide anything. The Taoiseach has made his views known publicly on a range of issues across the spectrum covered by the Oireachtas joint committee's report. In one interview, he ranged widely across all the issues.

He did not.

He did and I read the interview which was quite detailed.

That is not true.

We must conclude questions. The time for questions has expired.

The Government will consider the Oireachtas committee's report when it receives it—

The Minister clearly does not agree with the Taoiseach.

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