Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I asked the Minister to comment on the statement by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine on cervical screening. The statement said that for any screening programme to be successful, it must have the trust and confidence of the public and to ensure that confidence is maintained the results of the audit of 2014 must be published. Will the Minister comment on that please?

I want to tease out further how the screening is done. It is important. The Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine asked if all the false negative screens were performed in the same laboratory, and I ask that question also. The Taoiseach told us today that three laboratories are involved, namely, the Coombe and two in the United States. However, MedLab Pathology in Sandyford, a sister company of CPL in Texas - the firm Ms Vicky Phelan sued - is given 50% of the samples by CervicalCheck. When I went for my smear about three weeks ago, the doctor was emphatic that it was going to the US.

How is it decided what goes to Sandyford, what goes to the US and what goes to the Coombe? Or where does it go? Can the Minister tell me when it is said that MedLab Pathology "deals with" 50% of the samples, what does "deal with" mean? Does it mean that it actually screens them? Does it do the tests on them or does it just package them and send them in Texas? I refer to Quest Diagnostics in the United States. How is that decided? Is the Minister concerned that MedLab Pathology in Sandyford is the sole laboratory dealing with the bowel screening programme? We should be informed of the connection it has to CPL in Texas.

Have I time to ask another quick question?

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