Dr. Nóirín Russell:

The Deputy asked me to comment on the good that CervicalCheck had done. Between 2010 and 2015, there was a 7% reduction in the incidence of cervical cancer year on year. Every year, CervicalCheck refers onwards for treatment approximately 6,500 women. That is 6,500 women who have a treatment for precancerous cells and, therefore, do not go on to get cervical cancer. The Deputy's request of me to mention these positive results from cervical cancer screening was timely and appropriate.

We must balance this with the fact that cancer screening will not prevent all cervical cancers. However, screening with cytology, which was our previous programme, prevents 75% of cervical cancers. With our new programme - primary HPV screening - screening will prevent 90% of cervical cancers from developing.