Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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169. To ask the Minister for Health the timescale for the results of repeat cervical smears; the number of women waiting for same; the length of time they are waiting; and the reason for delays by county in tabular form. [17921/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In May 2018, I asked CervicalCheck to make the necessary arrangements to provide that any woman who had a CervicalCheck smear test, and whose GP considered that she should have a further test as part of her reassurance, to access such a further test without charge. In the months since then, there was a significant increase in the volume of women presenting for smear tests. This included women who have availed of the out of cycle tests, but also a greater number of women presenting for scheduled screening.  This increased level of engagement with the programme is welcome but has undoubtedly put pressure on lab capacity and turnaround times. 

The HSE has been undertaking a global search for laboratory capacity to help alleviate the backlog and has recently advised that it has identified additional capacity internationally. It is currently working to agree commercial arrangements, and complete quality assurance processes, in order to enable it to incorporate this capacity into the CervicalCheck programme. However, it is important to be clear that the backlog will take some time to resolve.

In relation to the specific data requested, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.