Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he can "absolutely, 100%" guarantee that all women's healthcare services allowed under Irish law will be provided at the new National Maternity Hospital.
Last night Cabinet delayed deciding on a proposal to move the hospital to the St Vincent's campus.
The Health Minister will be briefing the Oireachtas Committee on Health on the plans for the hospital and will bring observations back to Cabinet Ministers in two weeks time.
"The concerns that have been raised really reflect the general debate that has been had.
Speaking on RTE Morning Ireland, Minister Donnelly discussed the concerns that members of Cabinet had with the proposal.
"What members of Cabinet, both male and female, wanted to know was that the National Maternity Hospital would be clinically and operationally independent and that all services that can be provided under the law would be provided at the hospital," he said.
"What I was able to go through with colleagues was the multiple layers of protection that are in the legal frameworks, all healthcare services can be provided and will be provided."
He said he can "absolutely, 100%" guarantee that a woman could access abortion, sterilisation and all healthcare procedures at the hospital in any circumstance allowed under Irish law.
He also said there will not be any members of Sisters of Charity on the board of the new company St Vincent's Holdings.
"I wanted to make sure the share transfer had been completed," he said.
"So that is the full transfer of shares from the Religious Sisters of Charity that was completed last week and in order to make sure this vital project keeps moving I brought the memo to Cabinet yesterday for discussion."
Yesterday the Taoiseach said he was "genuinely satisfied" that appropriate safeguards were in place.
He said on Newstalk: "The protections are there for the new Maternity Hospital; they’re strong protections and I think we need to state that the state has a 300 year lease on it and that the state through the HSE will have an operating activity to govern its activities.
“Of course people can be assured that the services that people wish to avail of and that are legally permissible in this state will be available."
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