I thank the witnesses for their presentations and the work they have done on this issue. Some people have been involved from the start and some people came in at a later stage. I thank them for the detailed information provided to us. I will start with Professor Kitchener. His report states reviews were carried out of 1,000 women. It is not easy to do a review. It is a complex process and involves many people. Professor Kitchener has given that explanation, but in his report he has stated there were 20,000 data items. He might outline what those data items are, because I understood that around 3,500 smear results were reviewed. How is that total of 20,000 data items made up?

Professor Kitchener also referred to the comparison with the UK. The Irish results were similar to the UK. Regarding audits undertaken in the UK, what has been the experience regarding releasing information back to the patients? Is that process in place? I understand that in some European countries information from an audit it not released. It is retained because the whole idea of an audit is to ensure the system is working, first of all, and then that any glitches are addressed. Will Professor Kitchener deal with those issues?

I turn now to the issue of staffing and the challenges staff have faced over the past 18 months. I refer in particular to comments made by Dr. Nóirín Russell, who is based in Cork and Kerry, which set out clearly that staff have faced major challenges in some centres. I understand that in some centres there have been resignations and people have been difficult to replace. Has any mechanism been put in place to support staff who had to deal with this defensive work daily during the past 18 months? In fairness, all the staff have been doing their best to provide the best possible service. The public perception was different, however. If staff are facing challenges, it is important that they have the necessary support. The last time I raised this issue was when someone from the Medical Council was in here. I am referring to a situation where there is an adverse outcome regarding work done within the HSE or by medical staff and the lack of support available. Have we identified how we can support and retain staff?

Also on staffing, the number of consultants in this area is very small. The total number of consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology is about 135, and it is smaller again in this particular area. Have we set out how many people are due to retire in the next five years, how many people are in training and how many people we need to encourage to go into training in this area? What work is being done on that issue? I ask that because I see major challenges. For example, I have heard of two people who have dropped out of the area of obstetrics and gynaecology. One person was in training for nine years, but then decided to go back to do GP training. The second person had done six years of training in obstetrics and gynaecology before dropping out, again to do GP training. It is the same in this particular area. What supports are we putting in place? How can we now help retain those staff and ensure we have the necessary numbers of staff in place to deal with requirements and provide an adequate service for the patients? They are entitled to the best quality service and to do that it is necessary to have the staff. Those are my opening questions.