Three days of hearings on draft legislation

Three days of hearings on the draft legislation allowing abortion in limited circumstances are expected to take place in the Seanad chamber later this month.

The Oireachtas health committee will meet in private today to decide how it should proceed with its consultation on the outline of the bill before the final version is agreed by ministers.

The 21-member committee is hoping to hold its hearings the week after next in the Seanad chamber, which means it may not be able to meet for three days consecutively.