Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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168. To ask the Minister for Health the action being taken to check whether the deficiencies in the CervicalCheck programme outlined in the Scally report are not also occurring in other screening programmes. [38222/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Dr Scally's Terms of Reference for his Scoping Inquiry, which were developed with cross party input, included an examination of the other screening programmes operated by the National Screening Service particularly in relation to quality assurance and clinical audit, open disclosure and governance. Dr Scally’s report is reassuring in regard to the other screening programmes, stating that the professional and technical resources of their quality assurance programmes are of a high standard.

Of particular note, the Report states that there is evidence that both BreastCheck and BowelScreen relate to their clients in an open and sensitive manner when adverse events are identified .

Dr Scally's report contained fifty recommendations, including some recommendations in relation to the other screening programmes. All recommendations have been accepted in full by Government, and my focus now is working towards the full realisation of these recommendations.