Mr. Damien McCallion:

I do not have those figures but I will forward them to the Deputy. The wait times for colposcopy testing are significantly shorter. The numbers are relatively small, but the cases are important in terms of priority.

In addition, we have sanctioned HPV prioritisation for laboratories experiencing particular challenges. That process triages the outstanding slides and smears to ensure that those which may have the high-risk types of HPV move into cytology earlier. Thus, smears with a greater risk of abnormality move into cytology and receive results more quickly. We authorised and implemented that before Christmas in one of the laboratories. We have tried to prioritise testing and at-risk groups as best we can within the confines of the programme structure. As stated, we are trying to source capacity from all sources, private and public, while we develop our own capacity. The latter will take some time and will not provide a solution to the backlog.