Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Health if he will direct the National Cancer Screening Service to contact all those women who had a cervical smear test taken and to ask them if they had to pay for the postage of their samples, using registered post €5.80; if he will enquire from the National Cancer Screening Service the steps that have been put in place to ensure that participating medical practises will not abuse the the National Cervical Screening Programme in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32710/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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CervicalCheck was introduced in September 2008. Almost 950,000 smear tests were processed in the first three years of the programme and more than 710,000 eligible women aged 25 – 60 years have had at least one free CervicalCheck smear test.

The HSE has contractual agreements in place with general practitioners and clinics for the provision of smeartaking services as part of CervicalCheck. Under this contract, the practice or clinic where a CervicalCheck smear test is taken is solely responsible for ensuring delivery of the smear test sample to the designated cytology laboratory for analysis. No woman who has a smear test as part of the CervicalCheck programme should pay for postage. I am advised by the HSE that, since the programme's introduction, a small number of instances have come to their attention of a woman being asked to post her own smear test sample for analysis. In all cases where a complaint has been brought to the attention of the programme that complaint has been immediately followed up and resolved with the practice in question. I am also assured that CervicalCheck works with representative and local community groups and produces information materials, which clearly state that every aspect of the programme is free of charge to women and that this is a free government-funded service.