Religious symbols may have to be removed from Church-run hospitals if a new report commissioned by the Minister for Health is adopted as Government policy. An Independent Review Group into hospitals owned or managed by religious orders recommends that hospitals respect the wishes of patients who do not want to see religious iconography. It also questions whether State funding should continue to be given to hospitals if their characteristic ethos precludes them from providing lawful procedures such as abortion.

The review said that the Government had the legal right to withdraw funding from such hospitals but noted that it would cause massive disruption to the health service.

Alarmingly for the hospitals, the report said clarity on the constitutional rights of independently owned faith-based organisations to manage their own affairs has not yet been determined in the healthcare context by the Supreme Court.

The 12 religiously affiliated hospitals in the State receive €1.34bn in State funding and are responsible for operating 26pc of publicly funded inpatient beds

Later in the day, the Taoiseach said the Government has no plans to force religious-owned hospitals to remove crosses or other religious symbols. However, Leo Varadkar said publicly-funded institutions needed to recognise not everyone was religious, or Catholic, and should reflect the beliefs of all the public.