Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the Health Service Executive has recently awarded a contract for medical examination of cervical smears to an American company notwithstanding the fact that the HSE recently upskilled its medical laboratory staff with a view to carrying out these examinations by HSE staff and that this training involved study and examination in the UK; her views on whether this decision is medically in the best interests of patients and financially prudent for the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20469/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) have announced a preferred bidder for the provision of laboratory testing services for the National Cervical Screening Programme. This is an important milestone which will enable the NCSS to launch the first quality assured, population based National Cervical Screening Programme for women in Ireland aged 25-60 years.

The NCSS is a statutory agency and is entirely separate from the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE had no involvement in the process to select a preferred bidder to provide laboratory services for the National Cervical Screening Programme. In keeping with EU procurement legislation, the procurement process is being conducted in an open and competitive manner. Submissions were invited from local and international laboratories during the process. The NCSS has concluded that the preferred bidder can deliver a service that meets all of the required quality criteria. The Deputy will appreciate that quality is a critical requirement of the new programme in the context of patients' best interests. As the procurement process has not yet concluded, there are no details available on the cost of the service.

The National Hospitals Office (NHO) of the HSE has a commitment to staff currently employed in cytology services, and has met with their representative. Any decisions regarding reassignment of employees will be addressed after the National Cancer Screening Service has completed the procurement process for cytology services.