Where is Scally’s Second Report? Minister Must Make Statement

Issued : Friday 22 February, 2019

Labour Health spokesperson Alan Kelly has called on the Minister for Health to make a statement to clarify where the second report by Dr Gabriel Scally is, and when it will be released.

Deputy Kelly said:

"I want to know where is Dr Gabriel Scally’s follow up report in relation to the laboratories used by Cervical Check. I have been told for some time that is is imminent but yet another week passes and there is no report. I am being asked on a continuous basis about when it will be published.

"This piece of work was to to analyse comprehensively what happened in relation to the laboratories that Cervical Check were using over the years of operation. There was to be a complete forensic analysis of the quality assurances in place both from the HSE to the contracted laboratories and furthermore on the internal quality assurance in the laboratories themselves.

"We found out from the initial Scally Report that the contracted laboratories were in some cases subcontracting their work to other laboratories. We need to know why this wasn’t known by the HSE previously?

"If there is more subcontracting we need to know why it wasn’t revealed to Dr Scally previously? What level of subcontracting was there and what quality assurances were being used by the HSE?

"We need to know everything about the contracts in place in all cases , when they were negotiated, by whom, at what price and what quality assurances were in place across the board.

"This was a large piece of work that Dr Scally was conducting since last September. It is absolutely imperative and essential to getting to the bottom of the Cervical Check Scandal.

"It has taken five months already and must be completed by now so why hasn’t it been published. Dr Scally knew his terms of reference and the haste with which this was needed. It is imperative it’s published now. If not the Minister must explain why."