Mr. Damien McCallion:

The numbers in 2017 and 2016 were consistent, and then we had the spike in 2018. Our estimate for this year is that it will be between 290,000 and 300,000. It is impossible to get an exact figure due to a range of factors, but we expect that we will continue to see a number of women turn up by invitation who perhaps previously may not have because of the heightened profile around cervical cancer and screening. That is the number.

In terms of matching the demand and the capacity, as Mr. Breslin said, we have a difficulty with that at the moment. That is where the backlog has arisen, but we are constantly trying to look at how we develop that with existing providers, and we have done a trawl through the private providers also. We have talked to other public sector organisations and we are continuing to do that and follow up on any leads. One of the challenges in the cytology market is that it is a declining skill set because, in moving to HPV testing, we move from 100% to 15% cytology. Basically, people who work in the profession and providers are moving away from it. It is very challenging but we are continuing to try to source capacity from all possible angles, including developing our own in the medium term at the Coombe Hospital.