Ms Nicola Perry:

That is the case. Hepatitis C has required mandatory notification since 2004, which means that in any setting where someone tests positive, it must be notified to the health promotion surveillance centre to keep records that help with planning and understanding the epidemiology. The figures will be there. The figures are also held on what is called a national treatment registry for hepatitis C that is taken care of within St. James's Hospital in Dublin. My understanding is that there is no issue with any of those. They work effectively and the numbers are clear. However, they are what they are. They are numbers. If someone tests in a centre in Dublin, I would hazard a guess that the information is not always carried back to a GP in Clare or Waterford.