HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris said he hopes legislation on abortion following the Yes vote in the referendum could pass through the Dáíl as early as September.

This afternoon, Harris held a meeting with the opposition spokespeople for health which he described as “very constructive”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said over the weekend that laws giving effect to Friday’s referendum could be enacted before the end of the year, but campaigners had called for a shorter timeline.

The Together for Yes campaign urged the government to pass legislation allowing for the terminations of pregnancies before the summer break.

A spokesperson for Harris’s department said this evening: “The Minister updated the deputies on his meeting with the Attorney General and his officials. He also sought cross-party agreement to pass second stage of the new legislation by the summer recess.

“This would facilitate the Health Committee potentially taking the Bill through committee stage during the recess, most likely early September, with the hope that the Dail could pass report stage by the end of September.”

Harris agreed to meet the opposition spokespeople on health again in two weeks time and he will continue his meetings with stakeholders tomorrow and Friday.

Ireland voted by 66.4% to 33.6% on Friday to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution and replace it with the 36th Amendment, directing the Oireachtas to legislate for the termination of pregnancy.

With reporting by Christina Finn

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