It is evident today from the comments from both sides of the House that the leaking of the report of the expert group is a grave matter. Will the Leader ensure the matter is investigated? The reason I say that has nothing to do whatever with partisan politics. The person who leaked that report held a privileged position in the State. The State invested confidence and a particular status in that person and in the confidentiality to deliver a report after due process to the Cabinet, but the person who leaked it made a deliberate decision to usurp the Cabinet and to usurp the powers of the Oireachtas. The Members of the Oireachtas have a mandate from the people to act on their behalf on all matters, but this is a particularly important social matter. In fact, the person who leaked that report committed, to my thinking, a subversive act against the State and against the people of the State. The bottom line is this: that report was leaked to contribute to a particular agenda, which was to ensure Members of the Oireachtas could not have an orderly debate on and consideration of this report. The intention obviously was to stampede the Members of the Oireachtas into making a knee-jerk reaction on one of the most important issues facing us in the history of the State. Both sides here have asked for a calm debate. Both sides in this House have asked that we keep to the subject matter, but it is definite that whoever leaked the report did not intend doing that. Whatever the outcome of the report, the debate has been contaminated. At this stage, the outcome is also contaminated, and that is how serious this issue is.

With respect to my great friends and colleagues on the Opposition benches, much of the talk in this Chamber about the leaking of this report is a great deal of balderdash.

Why?

None of us knows for certain. These are alleged matters. Of course, they may be accurate.

Is the Senator joking?

Is Senator Paul Coghlan seeking a debate?

The report has been published today and we will all soon know with certainty. I am fed up with all the talk that we have had about abortion.

That is it. We must be quiet so.

As has been stated by Members opposite - I am looking at the distinguished Senator opposite, Senator Norris - we all are pro-life here. We all are interested in protecting lives-----

Hear, hear.

-----protecting the lives of mothers and the unborn.

The Senator is missing the point completely.

We need to continue to protect these lives. We need to strengthen the Medical Council guidelines. As somebody has said, let us be calm. Let the debate proceed when we have the report today.

Is it okay for a report to be leaked?

Is Senator Paul Coghlan looking for a debate?

Let the debate proceed. It is more important that we get it right than we rush it. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen in its own good time and, please God, we will get it right.