Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have no axe to grind with Mr. O'Brien but there is clearly a conflict of interest and it is not proper for him to be a board member of a health provider and director general of the HSE.

I seek clarity on a statement made this morning by the Taoiseach. Myriad questions on this issue will have to be asked and answered in the coming days. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, yesterday stated that the HSE is to introduce a new screening test from October. The current cytology test used by CervicalCheck has a low sensitivity of between 60% and 75% and, as a consequence, produces a not insignificant number of false negative results. It is to be replaced by a new HPV test which produces more accurate results. According to the documents published yesterday, the new test tests for HPV which is responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. Are we moving from a less accurate universal test which produces up to 30% false negatives to a more accurate test which is ineffective for 30% of cervical cancers?

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