Mr. Jim Breslin:

It has taken much longer than anyone would have expected to get the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RCOG, audit under way. That was not envisaged at the time. It is certainly the case that things developed in a way that was not originally apparent. It is important to consider what was happening then. People were seeking to address issues as quickly as possible and there was an onus or responsibility on all of us to do so. It was said for good reasons. We have experienced all the processes that had to be gone through, which the HSE has outlined and can repeat. The process is now under way. The slides are moving to the laboratory and RCOG has commenced its work, which it says it will complete within six months. There is now clarity on this that was not previously available.