Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct that they are not. He did say that. I was misinformed in the past. However, there are women watching this debate. He is not suggesting those laboratories are in any way inferior from a safety or quality point of view. That is what the report states and that is what he said. If the Deputy had met him, that is what he would have said to her.

As we move to HPV testing which I expect to happen in 2019, it will provide an opportunity and an obligation to re-tender and reconfigure our use of laboratories. We need to look at capacity in this country. If it is possible to do more here, of course, we should do more here. However, the continuance of screening which is saving lives has to be the priority. I do not have the data the Deputy is seeking. It is not as simple as referring to 221 tests because many of the women would have had multiple smears sent to multiple locations.

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