Updated 15:13

A group calling for a referendum on abortion says a new Dáil committee being set up on the subject is a "delaying tactic".

TD's in the Dáil will be asked to set up a committee tomorrow to investigate whether Ireland should have a referendum on abortion.

Spokeswoman for the Abortion Rights Campaign, Linda Kavanagh, says there's now a serious overlap between the two.

The committee will be made up of 16 TD's and four senators and will examine the findings of the Citizens' Assembly which is due to report on the issue before June. 

The assembly will hold its final weekend-long consultation on the issue on April 22rd-23rd, where they will consider if any changes need to be made to their proposals. 

The Dáil committee itself will also have the right to hold its own hearings on the subject before making a final recommendation.

The special joint Oireachtas committee will then make up its report before the end of the year. 

With the approval of the Dáil, it's then down to the Government to recommend any possible changes to the Eighth amendment, based on the report from the committee. 

If there is an abortion referendum, it will not take place until the first half of next year at the earliest.

David Quinn of the Iona Institute says the committee was always planned, but he believes that its outcome is already determined.

"Separate and distinct role"

Health Minister Simon Harris has played down fears that the committee will overlap with the Citizens' Assembly.

Mr Harris says he believes that it will only look at how to implement the Citizens' Assembly's findings.

He thinks the the focus will be on issues like the wording of any such referendum on the Eighth Amendment.