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

In fairness to the Deputy, he has asked some very specific questions, one relating to the minutes of a meeting held on 6 October last. I was not present at the meeting and I have not seen the minutes so the Deputy will forgive me if I am unable to answer questions at that level of detail. It is the case that some errors were made during the process of the RCOG audit. They were flagged at the time and I am advised that they were dealt with.

I know Lorraine Walsh too. I have met her many times. I read her resignation letter when it arrived on 31 October, five weeks before this report was published. It was extraordinarily complimentary of the Minister, in particular, and of many of the people who now work in CervicalCheck. It did not mention RCOG at all. I appreciate that she is honest and truthful in what she has said since then, although that was not the reason that was given five weeks ago. I want to express my appreciation and thanks to her for the work she did as a patient advocate over many months. She certainly helped me in my work when I was putting together the apology I made in this House. She has made a difference in helping us to improve our screening programme and to restore confidence in CervicalCheck.

RCOG is the professional body for obstetricians and gynaecologists in the United Kingdom. It is well-respected. It is the world expert when it comes to gynaecology, cervical cancer and women's health. It is independent. It was asked to do this report on behalf of the Government and it did it. I think the right thing is for the college to account for it. RCOG is not a public body or a Government body. They are experts brought in from the UK because we wanted to make sure the report was totally independent. They are willing to come to the Joint Committee on Health on 18 December - I understand this date has been set - to account for all of the matters relating to their report. That is as it should be.

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