Mary Flaherty
Question:42 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement regarding the terms of reference and timetable given to the committee on cervical screening which has been set up in his Department.
Written Answers. - Committee on Cervical Screening.
A working party was established in 1988 to review the cervical smear testing service. This group produced a very constructive interim report. A commitment was given in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress that the Working Party on Cervical Screening would be reconvened. The first meeting of the reconvened group took place on Friday, 27 November 1992, with the following terms of reference: 1. To review the implementation of the recommendations of the interim report of the Working Party on Cervical Screening; 2. To review the general efficacy and cost effectiveness of the operation of the present system and 3. To consider what further cost effective improvement can be made.
The working party is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer of my Department and includes a variety of experts from various fields. The working party expects to finish its report and to present its recommendations to me later this year. I look forward to receiving the report.