Mr. Damien McCallion:

I would like to add a point that is quite important for Deputy Donnelly and others. Notwithstanding that, as Dr. Doherty said, there is significant pressure on the service. There is a lot of work to be done with GPs. As Dr. McKenna said during our previous appearance, gynaecological and other services and the model of working must also be examined. Moreover, we have commissioned impact assessments through Dr. McKenna, who is the clinical director of the national women and infants health programme, to prepare ourselves for HPV screening. That will result in a spike in colposcopy referrals on a phased basis over several years. That will involve visiting each unit, looking at the short-term and long-term issues and identifying the resources needed to address them. In particular, this will include re-engineering some of the pathways for patients for GPs. That process is fairly well advanced. That team has now visited approximately 75% of the units and will provide a set of recommendations on how we can strengthen that service.