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

Following on from Deputy Durkan's point, is Mr. Breslin really saying that we cannot look at laboratory A's results and laboratory B's results and compare them because the tests going into the laboratories could be different patient cohorts? More women over the age of 55, for example, would automatically show cell abnormalities. The laboratory's results would depend on the batch. If thousands of smear tests for 22 year old women are sent to one laboratory, and if thousands of tests for 60 year old women are sent to another laboratory, then the laboratories are not dealing with the same disease spread. Is this really why we cannot compare? I am trying to help to clarify.