Holles Street promises to offer terminations for fatal abnormalities from next month

Terminations will be carried out at the National Maternity Hospital from January, its master has pledged.

Holles Street master Dr Rhona Mahony has vowed that there will be no delay in the roll-out of abortion services at the hospital for women whose babies have a fatal foetal abnormality. A spokesperson for Dr Mahony tole the Irish Independent that the hospital was "working to ensure we have a full, safe and compassionate service in place as quickly as possible. "Notwithstanding the outstanding logistical issues, we expect to provide termination of pregnancy in situations of fatal foetal anomaly from January 1." It comes as a number of maternity hospitals and GPs have said that they will not be carrying out abortions by the beginning of 2019. The Coombe and the Rotunda won't be ready to roll out terminations by January 1, they have confirmed, while the Irish Family Planning Association says it can't yet give a date. The abortion legislation has passed the Committee stage of debate in the Seanad, meanwhile. It follows last month's passage of the bill at Dáil Committee stage and brings the official legislation a step closer to becoming law. Senators put forward 63 amendments to Health Minister Simon Harris's bill, all of which he rejected, reports RTÉ.