Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil that the Heads of an Agreement have been signed with the contracted laboratories to extend cervical screening, pending the introduction of new human papillomavirus (HPV) testing.
He said this will allow for the continuation of the existing service, without interruption and follows detailed negotiations undertaken by the Health Service Executive.
Speaking during Leaders' Questions, Mr Varadkar said agreement for the extension of contracts was reached on 13 October. However this is subject to the '"formal conclusion" of the contract, which has not yet been done.
He said that in the negotiations, discussions focused on extending the capacity of the laboratories to deal with the backlog of smear tests, which has built up as a result of the significant increased demand for repeat smear tests in recent months.
The existing contracts are due to expire this month, and intense negotiations involving the HSE and two key laboratories, Quest Diagnostics in the US, and MedLab Pathology in Dublin took place to ensure the service would continue without a break.
Quest conducts more than 132,630 tests for CervicalCheck each year, while MedLab performs more than 131,750.
