Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will support the issues raised in correspondence from a person (details supplied). [18164/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The roll out of a national cervical screening programme is the most efficient population approach to preventing and controlling cervical cancer. The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) is planning to roll out such a programme on a national basis and is in the final stages of preparations. The service will be available free of charge to all eligible women in Ireland aged 25-60. A national programme will provide screening in a primary care setting every three years for women aged 25-44 years and screening every five years for women aged 45-60 years. The priority is to establish a national quality assured, organised cervical screening programme and it will be implemented in line with best international practice.

All elements of the programme will be quality assured — call and recall, laboratory testing, colposcopy and will be managed to deliver a single integrated national service. A cytology procurement process is underway. This process commenced in December 2007 and the outcome of this will be finalised shortly.

The vital emphasis of the procurement process has been and will be on quality of the national programme and the necessary entry criteria in choosing a cytology partner included accreditation status and a laboratory dealing with a volume of a minimum of 25000 smears per annum. These criteria were chosen in line with international acceptable criteria for cervical screening programmes. The NCSS will ensure that the laboratory elements will be delivered in an efficient and cost effective manner and with high quality and acceptable turn-around time for results and so avoid unacceptably long delays for routine cervical smear test results as a priority.

In advance of offering contracts to medical practitioners in primary care settings, the NCSS published a draft NCSS/Smeartaker contract and invited views and feedback concerning the contract on a non privileged basis by the end of February 2008. Many GPs, Smeartakers and representative bodies participated in this process and provided feedback. The NCSS is in the final stages of discussions on this contract.

The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) has expressed concern about the impact on its members employed in the public health service if cytology services for the screening programme are outsourced to private operators. The National Hospitals Office (NHO) has a commitment to the 70 staff currently employed in these services. The NHO has met with the Staff Representative of these employees and a decision with regard to reassignment of these employees cannot be made until the National Cancer Screening Service has completed the procurement process.