Health Minister Simon Harris is to defy the view of the Scally Report and will press ahead with a Commission of Investigation into the CervicalCheck Inquiry.

A powerful cross-party Dáil committee will accuse the Chief State Solicitor’s Office of costing the taxpayer at least €4m due to a botched building deal in a report set to be published tomorrow.

Outgoing HSE director general Tony O’Brien will have the full terms of his contract honoured, despite leaving his post early.

The outgoing director general of the HSE was warned more than a decade ago that outsourcing the analysis of cervical cancer screening results could lead to the type of crisis which has now engulfed the system.