Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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387. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ask HIQA to investigate the misdiagnosed slides of the 221 women involved in the CervicalCheck scandal; and if this investigation will identify the laboratories involved and the cause of the errors committed in these laboratories. [41940/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government has already established two reviews to examine the issues raised in relation to CervicalCheck. One is the Scoping Inquiry led by Dr Gabriel Scally, and one is an Independent Clinical Expert Review led by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with expertise from the British Society for Colposcopy and Cytopathology. The scope of these reviews includes the labs contracted to provide services for CervicalCheck, and review of the slides of women diagnosed with cervical cancer who participated in the CervicalCheck programme. Together, these two strands of investigation provide the independent external expertise required to address the issues raised in relation to CervicalCheck.

The Scoping Inquiry into CervicalCheck was led by Dr Gabriel Scally. The Terms of Reference of the Inquiry were developed following cross-party engagement and included an examination of the tendering, contracting, operation, conflict of interest arrangements, performance information and performance management, accreditation and quality assurance of contracted cytology laboratory services by CervicalCheck from initiation of the programme. Dr Scally's expert team, which included cytopathology expertise, visited the labs as part of his report. He has confirmed he is satisfied with the quality management processes in the current laboratory sites.

Crucially, he has confirmed that he finds no reason why the existing contracts for laboratory services should not continue until the new HPV regime is introduced. This is very welcome reassurance for women in Ireland. Dr Scally will now be carrying out further work in relation to the laboratories.

Separately, the scope of the Independent Clinical Expert Review, to be led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, includes all cases of cervical cancer in Ireland since CervicalCheck was established, to include the 1,482 cases notified to CervicalCheck since then and a further 1,630 cases registered by the National Cancer Registry of Ireland which had not been notified to CervicalCheck. It will examine the slides of those women within this cohort who were screened by the programme, approximately 1,856 women from within the total. All preceding slides taken within the CervicalCheck programme will be reviewed and will be read according to the protocol for the review, which is published on the website of my Department. This process will offer independent clinical assurance to women about their screening history.