David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Morrogh and Ms Clyne. I thank them for the kind words expressed about our front-line staff across all our healthcare settings.

As a committee and as Oireachtas Members we have to look at a health catch-up programme that includes acute care across a range of specialties and we are looking at mental health services and older people. Obviously there are challenges for the healthcare system to catch up on delayed care. I will start with cancer screening. Ms Morrogh referred to this in her opening statement when she said that thousands of people had not been screened, that it may take years before we know the full extent of what this will mean for patients, and that some patients may die prematurely if we do not put in place the catch up and if people do not get a diagnosis as quickly as they should. How serious is this matter? Is Ms Morrogh satisfied that enough is being done by the Department of Health and the HSE at this point in time to get the screening services back up and running? That is a starting question.