GPs may use Government promises to introduce abortion by early next year as a negotiating ploy to seek “significant” fees for carrying them out. The fear was stated in a memorandum sent to the Cabinet this week. The document from the Department of Health says that in the past, “when the State has attempted to introduce new services by a specific date, the Irish Medical Organisation has negotiated significant fees in return and it is possible that it could adopt such an approach in the current situation.”

The document also said that although Mr Harris’s preference is to have abortion “delivered primarily by GPs”, he also envisages services being provided by other providers such as family planning clinics.

Regarding the potential numbers of abortions that will take place when the new regime is in operation, it says: “It is expected that, as in other jurisdictions, an increase in the expected numbers could be anticipated in the early years.”