Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising what we all know is such an important matter. In the aftermath of the loss of life and health he referred to, the Government and the Department of Health took many steps to try to improve the level of confidence patients will have in the cancer screening procedures. This is because we know that a successful cancer screening health programme is so important in the prevention of the loss of life. I am not, I am afraid, aware of the specific issue the Deputy referred to in respect of the testing programme. Given the seriousness of the matter, I am not going to develop an answer for the Deputy based on information I do not have. What I will do, therefore, is follow up on this matter with the Department of Health and the Minister and ensure the Deputy gets a full answer in this regard. I do confirm, however, the general point that the Government is fully committed to taking all the steps needed to maintain the confidence that women have in what is a vital health programme.

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