The former Master of the National Maternity Hospital says a public inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar would be the wrong way to go.

Consultant Obstetrician Peter Boylan says information could come out in a fragmented manner and would be open to misinterpretation if an investigation is carried out in public.

He has also defended the Chairman of the Health Service Executive (HSE) review team Professor Alkumaran whom he knows personally saying he is "completely independent and objective".

Dr. Boylan says a private investigation is the best option.

"It"s much better to get the whole picture, to get all the facts in a private environment outside the scrutiny of the media - effectively - and ill-informed commentary" he said.

"And then to present the final report when all of the facts have been analysed, everybody appropriate has been interviewed and a proper report has been compiled" he added.

Dail motion expected to be defeated

Meanwhile the government is expected to comfortably defeat a Sinn Fein motion calling for the introduction of abortion legislation tonight.

That is despite calls from the party Deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald for TDs to support it.

The Health Minister James Reilly last night promised that the government would act to provide legal clarity for doctors after an expert report on abortion law is published and debated.

The Sinn Fein motion calling for the government to introduce abortion where the life of the mother is at risk is likely to be comfortably defeated in the Dail tonight.

The government is also being called on to remove the chairman of the investigation team examining the death of Mrs. Halappanavar.

Senator Ronan Mullen says Professor Alkumaran is an advocate of abortion having published pro-abortion views in a 2009 academic paper making him unsuitable for the job.