Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That decision was made back in 2008. I think I had only been a Member of the Dáil for one year at that stage and was not in government. The Minister, Deputy Harris, was not even a Member of the Dáil. The people who were making decisions at the time have told me it was not down to cost; it was down to capacity and the fact that Irish labs were not accredited. Obviously that is something that the Scally inquiry will examine. It is important that the Scally inquiry examines all those issues because there is a genuine concern that overseas labs are used for these tests.

An opportunity arises, as we introduce the new primary HPV test, to bring these screening tests back to Ireland. Some 50% have already been brought back to Ireland and in principle the Government would like to bring them all back to Ireland. However, that cannot be done overnight. It would have to be done over a phased period. The opportunity arises to do that now.

We need to allow Dr. Scally to do his work in this regard. Patients who seek the best cancer care in the world go to places like Sloan Kettering, the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins in America. Doctors seeking the best training in the world go to American hospitals. They use American labs. We should not just assume somehow that American labs are inferior to Irish ones unless we have data to show that.

While I do not know about any contracts back in 2008, when it comes to the current contract, the American lab that is being used currently is not cheaper than the Irish labs.

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