Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

The roll-out of the cervical screening programme does not require specific legislation. As the Deputy acknowledged, there are 200,000 opportunistic screenings per year in this area. It is a matter we must examine in the context of the review of the GMS contract because this facility can be provided at local level by general practitioners — that would be more appropriate. Population screening programmes are important and early detection leads to successful treatment. They are also expensive and it is always a question of priorities. Cancer care is a priority for the Government. We need to examine how we can effectively deal with this aspect of screening in the context of new contract arrangements.

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