Mr. Damien McCallion:

Initially, I will speak and colleagues might want to talk on the wider challenge, particularly on consultant manpower. In terms of screening, there are two key roles. There are the screeners themselves and the consultant pathologists who work in that area. There are a small number of those skills in this country. One is talking about probably no more than four to five persons who have that skill set. We are looking at how we can develop that and ensure we have some succession planning in respect of it and then a recruitment plan for the new operation at the Coombe. The Coombe also operates with one of the universities in terms of training. It runs a good school in that regard. We are trying to continue that as well as bringing in the new skill set that will be needed in respect of HPV, alongside cytology. We are working through that.

The consultant issue, as Senator Colm Burke states, is a significant challenge across the board. Ms O'Connor may wish to speak to that.