Dr. Sharon McGuinness:

With respect to the ISO 15189 international standard, we evaluate according to the evidence and information available to us. Our contention is that the laboratory was accredited because it was part of the overall system controlled from Dublin. We are not happy with the way the communication happened and acknowledge that there was a lapse. However, while we might not have been aware of it, this is where our independence and impartiality comes in. Let us be very clear that we did not do anybody a favour. We proceeded according to the evidence, the information we had available and our own assessments in previous years and made that decision.