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An audit report reveals the State has paid nearly €19 million to settle claims from the CervicalCheck controversy, detailing the cost breakdown, number of claims, and future liabilities. The report emphasizes the need for better audit transparency and risk management in healthcare services.
The State's annual audit report released by the Comptroller & Auditor General reveals that nearly €19 million has been paid to settle claims linked to the CervicalCheck programme controversy.
According to the public‑spending watchdog, the total cost of claims by the end of 2025 amounted to €18.9 million, of which €6.6 million was paid in damages to individuals who pursued legal action against the State. The controversy traces its roots back to 2018, when it came to light that women who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer had not been informed about audits of their prior smear tests conducted after their diagnosis.
CervicalCheck Claims and Legal Proceedings
In many instances, the audit findings contradicted the original test results, potentially leading to altered treatment pathways and differing outcomes for affected patients. Tragically, several of the women affected by the misleading information have since lost their lives. Legal proceedings tied to the CervicalCheck programme are overseen by the State Claims Agency, a division of the National Treasury Management Agency that handles personal injury, clinical negligence and third‑party property damage cases.
At the close of 2025, the Agency recorded 411 claims associated with the cervical screening programme-nine more than the 402 claims logged at the end of 2024. Among these claims are 86 psychological injury claims submitted by family members of women who participated in the programme. The bulk of these liabilities are directed at the laboratories responsible for interpreting test results and the Health Service Executive, which failed to disclose audit outcomes.
Laboratories are contractually compelled to offer indemnity to the State. While the Agency seeks to resolve disputes through mediation where feasible, it notes that mediation is not always under its control. In 2025 the Agency concluded 30 CervicalCheck claims, bringing the total number of resolved cases to 337, which represents 82 percent of all claims lodged.
The Agency is not privy to settlement amounts made directly by laboratories; therefore, it cannot present a comprehensive total cost figure for that segment of claims. Nevertheless, the report confirms that the State Claims Agency disbursed €18.9 million in relation to CervicalCheck claims, inclusive of the €6.6 million in damages paid. In the wider context, the Agency spent €513 million on all settlements, awards and related expenses in 2025, a slight reduction from €521 million in 2024.
State Liabilities and Public Spending
The Agency recovers these outcomes from the responsible State authorities. By the end of 2025, the projected total cost of all outstanding claims against the State was estimated at €5.46 billion, an increase from €5.35 billion in 2024. Clinical claims, amounting to €4.43 billion, dominated the estimated aggregate liability, with the remaining €1.03 billion attributed to general claims. Maternity‑related claims accounted for approximately €2.67 billion, or 60 percent of the total clinical claim value.
The findings underscore the significant financial impact of the CervicalCheck programme's shortcomings and the continuing burden on the State's public‑spending allocation. They also highlight the importance of transparent reporting, rigorous audit processes, and proactive risk management within health services to safeguard patient outcomes and public trust.
Cervicalcheck State Claims Agency Health Service Executive Audit Transparency Public Health Finance
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