I join all of my colleagues in congratulating the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and wish him well at this time.

With reference to the previous discussion, we need to provide reassurance - to use the Tánaiste's word - on two issues, the first of which is the backlog. Will the Government publish the medical advice the Minister for Health was given before he took the decision to proceed on the smear test issue? The second issue is that the Tánaiste keeps saying it is a matter for the laboratories. The Government took the decision to progress the expansion of the screening programme without providing resources for the laboratories. Does it intend to introduce a Supplementary Estimate to provide the necessary resources, once and for all, to address the backlog, as well as the second issue?

I have heard some doctors speak about this issue in the media today. It is important to say the problems related to secondary HPV testing are not solely connected to the increased volume of smear tests. We need to be accurate in considering what has contributed to what problem. There are two separate issues. One is capacity and one is secondary screening, when it has been necessary, in one of the three laboratories. It is important to separate the two issues. There is, of course, an obligation on the Government to be as accurate as it can when explaining what happened and why. The Minister, Deputy Harris, looks forward to doing so.

Will he publish the advice he received?

If we can provide more detail on what the Deputy is looking for, we can, of course do so.

I too wish the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, well at this important time in his life. That said, surely there is someone in charge of the HSE while he is on paternity leave for the next few weeks.

He is not in charge.

The Tánaiste speaks about confidence. We need it. Whoever is in charge of the HSE at this time, be it a Minister of State or a senior Minister, needs to answer serious questions. On numerous occasions today I have asked about when the Minister for Health received the advice. Was it in early December or at the end of December? Why has it taken so long for the women who have been affected to be informed? While the Taoiseach is abroad, the Tánaiste is in charge. Surely someone is in charge of the HSE who can obtain the information as to when the Minister was informed, what he was informed and why the Government decided not to inform patients until now. As we still do not have a figure - it is about 6,000 - are we sure this is the number of people affected who have been identified? I impress on the Tánaiste and the Ceann Comhairle the need to make space available today to answer these questions and provide reassurance, if it can be provided, that someone has his or her finger on the pulse and is overseeing the matter from a Government perspective.

The Deputy's time is up.

On a political level, I lack confidence that the Government is dealing with the matter in an appropriate manner.

The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, wanted to ensure women who were the patients would be the first to know, rather than the political system.

It was the opposite.

They do not know.

I ask the Deputies to listen as this is an important issue. The patients' representatives who are on the committee discussed this issue and agreed with that approach. I can get the date in December. I do not have it in front of me, but there is no hiding of information; we can get it. I understand the Minister then asked for a full report to provide the full details of the numbers involved and so on. As he had not actually received the report, he could not inform the House of its contents.

I thank the Tánaiste. We are now repeating the answers given earlier.

I repeated it earlier, but it is important to restate it.