Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept absolutely that we have to ask all of the hard questions after a case like this. However, I want also to reassure people, particularly those outside the House, that CervicalCheck rates very well in comparison with similar screening systems in other parts of the world. There is no perfect system and human errors will occur in screening programmes, particularly with 250,000 people a year having smear tests. That seems to have been what happened here, but I do not know for sure. I know, however, that this screening system is open to independent assessment, if that is what people are seeking, in order to show that it rates well by international standards. All of us have the responsibility, however, to reassure women that this is a good screening programme which is saving lives, albeit we need to assess it constantly to ensure that improvements which can be made are made. As to information flow within the health system, that is a correction we are making this morning. Nevertheless, it is essential to reinforce the importance of smear tests and CervicalCheck in general in light of the number of lives it saves and the reduction by 7% per annum in the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer on foot of the programme. Having said that, questions must be answered. If necessary, an independent assessment should be part of the follow-up process.

See this speech in context