Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their attendance. Mr. O'Brien, initially there was a two-year contract for the outsourcing of cervical smears, which took place under his watch in 2008. Was the two-year contract renewed or was it audited in order for the State to continue the contract? Mr. O'Brien was in charge at the time. In 2008, the decision was made by the then Minister to send the smears to America. Mr. O'Brien outlined the procurement procedure involved and stated that serious concerns were raised in various quarters. It would seem obvious to me that if domestic concerns had been expressed about the process then two years into it Mr. O'Brien, as the person in charge, should have reviewed the outcomes. Perhaps I missed something in the opening statement. Under the heading, the procurement of cytology laboratory services, in his opening statement he referred to capacity of a laboratory and the turnaround time. I am reading his statement and can see mention of "international standards". His statement seemed to dwell on speed of turnaround rather than on quality. There is not much reference to quality. Perhaps he did not elaborate on quality in his opening statement.