Can the Taoiseach indicate when the legislation on exclusion zones will be forthcoming? I saw at the weekend, as I think everyone did - and it is not just this weekend but every weekend - that women are being intimidated when they try to go into their local general practices and that general practitioners are being intimidated by people protesting outside those practices. This is not acceptable. We were promised legislation on exclusion zones and we were told it would be a priority. We are close to the Easter recess and we still have no idea when the legislation will be introduced. This matter should have been dealt with when we were debating the regulation of termination of pregnancies legislation and it was not, although some of us stated at the time that we should have done it all together. The reason this was not done was that we were told we would have legislation on exclusion zones early in the new year. It is now almost the middle of the year. How long will we have to wait before the legislation is brought forward?

I am afraid I do not have a date for that legislation. The Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Attorney General are working on it but we are running into real difficulties in the context of restricting peaceful protest and free speech. While we all abhor and disagree with the protests being engaged in - at least, most of us do - we enter a difficult space in a democracy when we decide that certain opinions cannot be held and particular types of protests cannot happen.

Women have a right to access the service.

They absolutely do-----

They are being prevented from doing so and something must be done.

-----and if one is going to restrict free speech and the right to protest in a democracy, one needs to be on very solid ground.