James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I will give a quick background. Fifty years ago in Aberdeen a pilot study was started in this area. Forty years later we undertook a pilot study, in 1999. Here we are nearly ten years later and it is still promised. With the best will in the world, the Minister told us last summer we would have it by the end of the year. She told us in the autumn that we would have it on 1 January. Then she told us later, coming up to Christmas, that we would have it some time in January. Then we were told it would be March. Now the HSE is stating it will be some time this year. Is there any real intent to achieve this in 2008?

I do not believe the Minister can do it. She has not put in place the laboratory facilities. We do not have the necessary facilities such as the accredited laboratory. She will outsource it to America or some place where we have no control of their quality and we have an issue with building into a system a factor that will make interpretation more difficult and, therefore, mistakes more likely.

This is an illness of which there is 240 new cases each year and where 74 people die each year. Had the Department put this in place it could have saved hundreds of lives. We are still here talking about it and promises are still being made. It is the one cancer of which I am aware that one can detect before it happens because changes occur in the cell which allows one to treat such cells and get rid of them so the cancer never develops.

I get the impression — I do not like to take this stance — that the Minister seems to be suffering from the disability from which the entire Government, and its leader, the Taoiseach, seems to suffer, namely, she does not seem to be able to give it straight, tell the story as it is, give us a deadline that she can meet and make a commitment that she can keep. It is all broken promises and excuses.

Furthermore, I want to know about the other part of cervical screening, namely, the vaccination. When will the national immunisation advisory board make its recommendation? I believe it is in a position to do it. I cannot understand why it has been held up because the combination of the two could rid us of this terrible scourge.

I want the Minister to give this House a firm commitment. I ask her to show us that she can do it, that she can give us a deadline that she will keep. I ask her to give us a date because this carry-on of leading people by the nose causes the public to lose faith and causes a drop in morale among the people who must provide the service.

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