A State apology was necessary, but the mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and families caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal need to know that it will never happen again.

This week an independent rapid review into the screening programme by Professor Brian MacCraith found that more than 4,080 women had delayed HPV test results communicated to them as a result of an IT problem in a US diagnostics lab.

The HSE has confirmed around 400 women have received letters from CervicalCheck containing incorrect information.

The HSE has conceded that women who opt for a private smear test because of CervicalCheck backlogs may struggle to access follow-up investigations in the public system because of severe pressure on colposcopy clinics.

Health Minister Simon Harris confirmed the apology after he and the Taoiseach met with members of the 221+ CervicalCheck patient support group.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will issue an apology to the women impacted by the CervicalCheck programme failures in the next Dáil term.

A “huge communications failure” is how the latest CervicalCheck scandal, which left thousands of women in the dark for months about their test results, is described in a damning report.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid has apologised to the thousands of women affected by delays in their cervical smear test results.

Do you remember the summer of 2012? The months of June and July specifically, when 600,000 people were left without access to their Ulster Bank accounts?

A culture of “putting women first” will be developed by the HSE, as an immediate step, following the publication of the latest CervicalCheck report - a 74-page document into an IT error which led to more than 4,080 women failing to receive their result of a test for HPV.

A review of the latest CervicalCheck scandal has found more than 4,000 women were not given their smear test results due to an IT glitch.

A review into an "IT-glitch" which caused hundreds of women not to receive their smear test results is due to be published today.

The HSE was still working last night to establish if all 52 women who tested positive for a virus that increases the risk of cancer have been made aware of their results.

Micheál Martin has questioned how “alarm bells” didn’t go off in the Department of Health when they received a letter from a woman waiting on smear test results.

More than 50 women caught up in the latest CervicalCheck controversy have tested positive for the HPV virus.

Ministers have expressed full confidence in Simon Harris over the latest CervicalCheck controversy impacting 800 women.

The Chairperson of the CervicalCheck rapid review has said he has started investigating the latest CervicalCheck scandal.

Women involved in the latest CervicalCheck scandal are losing faith in the system and want answers, that’s according to ‘Sharon’, the woman who revealed the most recent problem with communications within the service.

A review of the latest smear check scandal will not examine whether women have been delayed treatment or a cervical cancer diagnosis.

Minister for Health Simon Harris has said it is “highly regrettable” that patient representatives were kept in the dark on the latest CervicalCheck controversy.

The HSE has announced that there will be "an immediate rapid review" into the IT glitch that led to 800 women not receiving their smear test results.

University College Cork has told the Dail’s spending watchdog that it is “fully financially sustainable” despite failing to file its 2018 financial accounts on time, it can be revealed.

That frequently over-used phrase — ‘the chance of a lifetime’ — will have genuine credibility for a pair of lucky Irish girls this summer.

The division and indecision around Brexit have all but dominated politics in Britain, Ireland, and Europe for the last number of years. The wretched saga seems interminable and it is exacerbated by the absence of resolute, focussed leadership.

That frequently over-used phrase — ‘the chance of a lifetime’ — will have genuine credibility for a pair of lucky Irish girls this summer.

A new report by Indecon, commissioned by the Irish Universities Association, has looked at their socio-economic impact.

Teachers and parents will get to play a part in global research led by Dublin City University (DCU) to help combat school bullying.

The importance of STEM — science, technology, engineering and maths — is a well established fact of modern life, writes John Daly.

Education Minister Richard Bruton expects plans being launched today to make Ireland’s teaching of science and technology the best in Europe.

Four-time Olympian and World Athletics Champion Sonia O'Sullivan was one of three individuals awarded with Honorary Doctorates at Dublin City University today.

The Government plans to introduce computer science, including coding, as a Leaving Cert subject.

The maths curriculum being taught in schools here is leaving students without the basic skills for the higher- level paper and unprepared for entering third-level education, an expert report has found.

Ireland’s top universities have slipped slightly in a major world ranking system but the country still retains four in the top 300.

Picture, if you can, the public reaction to an announcement that all students who wish to study engineering need to have an honours grade in Irish.

US-based testing company Prometric is to help create 40 jobs in Dundalk, it was announced today.

Students putting the final touches to projects for next month’s BT Young Scientist competition have the added incentive of up to €2,000 each towards a university education.

Steps are planned to stop the ‘brain-drain’ of junior doctors after they complained that inadequate training, job insecurity and the lack of a structured career path was driving them abroad.

Dublin Institute of Technology has joined two other Irish colleges in a ranking of the world’s top young universities.

ALL-IRELAND SFC FINAL:

Computing and business degrees are seen as hot tickets for the class of 2013, if rises in CAO points are anything to go by.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has signalled that the Leaving Certificate will be overhauled just like the Junior Certificate, as the education system was criticised as “unsustainable” amid fears of a “slide into mediocrity”.

A new innovation campus in Dublin City University (DCU) is expected to support about 500 jobs over the next five years.

Norah Casey says her nurse’s training stands to her during stressful work situations.

Three of Ireland’s leading third-level institutions are to collaborate on providing new postgraduate courses, research possibilities and attracting foreign students.

Ireland and India have jointly launched a new institute to foster partnerships in business and education.

There are a raft of proposals about the points system, but changes will take time to implement, reports Education Correspondent Niall Murray