Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Obviously, I do not agree with the Deputy on the free repeat smear test but in the interests of time, I will not rehearse the argument we have had many times. In my opening statement, I outlined why I believed it was the appropriate action to take. I do not have any more up-to-date figures available to me now but I am checking whether we can get them. If we can do so during the debate, I will make them available to the Deputy and the House. If not, I will make them available to the Deputy in writing, ideally today. I will certainly seek them for him.

What I can say, and the Deputy knows it - and it has been welcomed by the Marie Keating Foundation, the 221+ group and many others - is that the agreement we now have in place with MedLab, which is the laboratory that has the largest backlog, means it is expected the backlog will be significantly reduced over the summer months. Many women receive their results within three weeks or within nine weeks. The specific challenge has been with MedLab, where the time is approximately 33 weeks. The fact that MedLab is now focusing on its backlog will see it reduced significantly.

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