Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy mentioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RCOG, review. As he has done so, and in the interest of completeness, I want to take this opportunity to inform him and the House that I am pleased to say slides have begun to transfer to the RCOG. This was an issue causing concern and it is now under way.

As the Minister for Health, I rely on clinical advice. The clinical advice available to me is what I have stated on the record of the House. The HSE has clinically advised me that the natural history of cervical cancer indicates it is a disease that would normally develop over a period of ten to 15 years. Due to this fact, regular screening is very important in terms of reducing the risk. Medically and clinically I am told that in this context, although the current reporting time of cervical screening results was absolutely undesirable and regrettable, it poses a very low clinical risk to women.

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