Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 80: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she expects that the national cervical cancer screening programme will be fully implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24017/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Cancer Screening Service is planning to roll out the national cervical screening programme on a national basis in January 2008. I have allocated additional revenue funding of €5 million to the service this year for this purpose and an additional 30 posts have been approved.

It is expected that approximately 240,000 women will be screened annually. Women aged 25 to 44 years will be screened every three years. Women aged 45 to 60 will be screened every five years.

The service is planning to have cervical screening managed as a national call-recall programme via effective governance structures that provide overall leadership and direction, in terms of quality assurance, accountability and value for money. All elements of the programme, call-recall, smear taking, laboratories, and treatment services will be quality assured, organised and managed to deliver a single integrated national service.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I asked the Minister when she expects the national cervical cancer screening programme to be fully rolled out. The reason I am sceptical and asked that question is that the breast screening programme was to have been fully rolled out approximately two years ago and that has not yet happened. Will the breast screening programme be fully rolled out by the end of this year as promised and is that timeframe in place? Will the Minister give a full timescale in regard to the cervical cancer screening programme? Could she also answer the question regarding laboratory facilities? Already waiting times for the results of cervical screening are approximately six months in some areas. Are there resources in the system to roll this out and to roll out quality control in terms of having the laboratories that are doing the tests accredited? Perhaps the Minister will expand on these aspects and tell the House whether BreastCheck will be fully rolled out this year.

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

BreastCheck has already been rolled out in the west. It was rolled out before the summer in Roscommon and it is being rolled out in the south within the next three weeks, either at the end of this month or the first week in November.

Cervical screening will not be done region by region; there will be a national roll-out. The national cancer screening programme, which is not part of the HSE at the moment, is going to tender and submissions are being invited and it is intended to roll the programme out in January. I understand it is going to tender in the next couple of days to invite interested parties to do the smears. In regard to laboratory facilities, I am assured we have sufficient laboratory services. I understand it is intended that results will be available within a matter of days, probably to the general practitioner.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This matter is close to my heart because in 1999 I was part of a team that negotiated the original pilot programme in the mid-west. We were told it would be rolled out within a short period. Why has this roll-out taken so long? Being a new Deputy I want to be nice. However, I must question the bona fides of a HSE that is currently outsourcing the laboratory requirement. If it has been doing that during the year because it cannot keep up with the amount of work it is getting before it rolls out nationally, how serious was it in regard to rolling it out nationally? The HSE's bona fides are highly questionable.

Can the Minister explain the delay of eight or nine years? Can she confirm that currently there is only one accredited laboratory in the country?

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There are issues regarding accreditation of laboratories.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Is the Minister's answer a "yes"?

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am not certain whether we have one or two laboratories but it is a very small number. I will confirm that. There may be a second one. We have very few accredited laboratories. Now that we are moving rapidly into the whole issue of standards and quality assurance it is clearly important, if we are to have national roll-outs, that the test results are accurate in so far as they can be.

The national cancer screening programme is not part of the HSE at the moment. The resources that are currently used on what are called opportunistic smears will be diverted to the screening programme. Many clinicians have been looking for that for quite some time. I will not speculate on why that did not happen to date. Screening programmes are expensive. They take time. We must direct our services more into screening. Screening for colorectal cancers will be next. It is hoped that can be done as quickly as possible given that those are the three areas where we know screening works. Relatively few people have a problem but it can be fatal for the few that do if it is not picked up early.

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am glad to learn the Minister is committed to rolling out this programme from the beginning of next year although a delay has arisen. I have concerns regarding the quality of laboratories and the availability of laboratory time. At present many smears taken must be outsourced.

On a related question, what are the Minister's views on, and has she any plans to introduce, a vaccine programme against cervical cancer? Such a programme would be aimed at younger people and much discussion has taken place in this regard. Where stands the Minister? Obviously this would involve a financial commitment. I refer to the vaccine programme for cervical cancer.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will bring in Deputy Ó Caoláin before the Minister responds.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Is the Minister aware we are approaching the third anniversary of the publication of the expert group's report in December? She must agree there has been far too little progress made in the subsequent period. The issue of the outsourcing of smear tests has been raised and large numbers of smear tests are being sent abroad for testing. Does the Minister agree such tests should be carried out in Ireland and that sending them to be checked overseas opens up a swathe of risks? Only this year, definite examples of the problems that can arise as a result have surfaced. What is the logic behind the closing of laboratories and hospitals in the face of real work that can be carried out effectively and proficiently within the laboratory system of the hospitals network? What steps is the Minister taking to address the deficiency in laboratory opportunities in this State?

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In response to Deputy Clune, such a vaccine would have to be done in conjunction with other matters — it is not an either or scenario.

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I know that.

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I await clinical advice in this regard and issues arise regarding how much should be paid to those who will administer the vaccine. In Ireland, as Deputy Reilly will be aware, we pay considerably more than is the case in other jurisdictions. While many issues arise in this regard, any innovation in the market must be used for the benefit of patients. This has always been a feature of the Irish health care system. On the smear——

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Capacity is a major concern.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is in the programme for Government.

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As for smears, a total of 35,000 smears were outsourced for reasons of speed. It was taking far too long to obtain the results and there is no point in having smears without obtaining the results quickly because that defeats the purpose. The outsourcing was to an accredited laboratory. Clearly, the Health Service Executive is doing some work on the required number of hot and cold laboratories. However, quality is the key issue, as well as ensuring that all laboratories are accredited and operate to a high standard, which is essential.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Should they be here at home?

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Yes, ideally we must have our own laboratory facilities in Ireland.