The establishment of an agency to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies in the State is likely to be recommended to the Government in the new year.
The matter has been considered by the Cabinet subcommittee on abortion, and it is understood it favours the setting up of such an agency. Meanwhile, the Co Wicklow TD, Ms Mildred Fox, has said the four Independent deputies who support the Government will "walk away" in the event of a decision not to hold an abortion referendum.
The group - Ms Fox, Mr Thomas Gildea, Mr Harry Blaney and Mr Jackie HealyRae - say they are conscious that a general election is looming and want abortion and other issues sorted out quickly.
The report of the all-party Committee on the Constitution, chaired by Mr Brian Lenihan, was forwarded after publication to the Cabinet subcommittee, and it has met twice since then.
The subcommittee is chaired by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin. The other members are the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue; the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke; the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell; and the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell.
In its submission Fine Gael favoured taking no action to change the Constitution in relation to abortion, or to introduce legislation, but proposed a £50 million 10-year plan to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies, to cut the number of abortions through promoting alternatives, and to provide post-abortion counselling and medical services.
While the committee split on the legislative and constitutional options, all parties agreed to the Fine Gael proposal, which the party's committee member, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, said was the only practical response to the fact that more than 100,000 Irish women had had abortions since the British Abortion Act of 1967.
The Cabinet subcommittee has initially focused on the agency proposal and examined the best and quickest way it might be set up.
The members feel the most logical way would be to establish it under existing health legislation which would allow it to be operational within months of getting Government approval.