Members of the committee were shown three briefing documents during the course of a dramatic six-hour hearing into the cervical cancer screening controversy on Thursday. Departing HSE chief Tony O’Brien revealed under questioning from Independent TD Catherine Connolly that he had received a briefing in March or April 2016 regarding audits of smear tests from women who had availed of the cervical screening programme and who had subsequently developed cervical cancer. He said he had become aware from the briefing note that such audits had been completed. He said the briefing note was provided to him by the national director for health and wellbeing in the HSE, Stephanie O’Keeffe. Mr O’Brien said he was not given details on the numbers of women to be told of the results of their audits.

Source: The Irish Times May 10, 2018 20:28 UTC