A Dáil vote on a Bill to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution on abortion may be avoided through a proposed compromise between Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance.

The Dáil is due to consider the Bill from the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit next Tuesday.

The Independent Alliance is seeking a free vote on the Bill, which aims to remove the Constitutional clause that gives the mother and the unborn an equal right to life.

Minister for Health Simon Harris has proposed a technical counter-motion that would disallow the Bill from being presented in the Dáil.

While the wording has not been agreed, the Minister’s motion is expected to propose the Bill not be read a second time due to the establishment of the citizens’ assembly to discuss abortion law and other issues.

If the House agreed the counter-motion, the Bill would collapse and a vote avoided. However, the motion would require the support of the Alliance members and a large number of Fianna Fáil TDs to be carried.

The initiative was put to the Independent Alliance members of Government yesterday, but discussions have been delayed until Monday due to the death of the mother of the Minister for Transport, Shane Ross.

Sources in the alliance said they were not confident the proposal would be supported by Mr Ross or Ministers of State Finian McGrath or John Halligan.

“Ross has made it clear that he wants a free vote,” said one source. “So I don’t think he will settle for anything else.”

Expects Ministers

Speaking in Brussels yesterday Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he expected all Ministers to adhere to Cabinet collective responsibility.

Mr Kenny said members of the Government agreed to the Programme for Partnership, which contained a commitment to establish the citizens’ assembly.

“We will consider this on Tuesday at the Cabinet meeting,” the Taoiseach said. “The issues that are relevant to the Programme for Government require Cabinet collective responsibility, so we will deal with that on Tuesday.”

It has emerged that one member of the citizens' assembly has stepped aside because he had previously campaigned for a pro-choice group. He made the assembly chairwoman, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, aware of his membership of the group and has been replaced

Those on the assembly are allowed to have opinions on the Eighth Amendment but cannot comment on them publicly.