Agreement is expected to be reached at the Cabinet meeting today on the heads of bill for new abortion legislation.

The Protection of Maternal Life Bill is expected to provide for a panel of three specialist doctors to assessment whether a termination is necessary in cases of suicide risk, with the right of appeal following this to other medical experts.

This is broadly in line with proposals made in the Expert Group report on options for abortion legislation presented to the Government late last year.

The Government appears to have resisted pressure to exclude suicide risk as a grounds for termination under the legislation.

In a medical emergency in cases where a mother's life is in danger, one doctor will be allowed to make a decision on whether to terminate a pregnancy. Again, this is in line with the Expert Group report options.

Where there is a threat from a medical condition such as cancer, two doctors - an obstetrician and the relevant consultant - will be entitled to make the decision, according to a report in the Irish Times.

The original proposal to have a total of six doctors involved in the assessment process in cases of suicide ideation has been dropped, after causing much controversy over the past week.