The Health Service Executive has been requested to prepare a detailed implementation plan for the roll-out of a national cervical screening programme, it was announced yesterday.
In a statement Minister for Health Mary Harney said she was "fully committed" to the project.
Screening has been available in the midwest since 2000, where it began on a pilot basis.
A review of the pilot programme was published in December 2004 and it recommended a national cervical screening programme be provided for Irish women as soon as possible.
It said the Republic's invasive cervical cancer rate was one of the highest in western Europe. Around 70 women die from this type of cancer in the Republic every year.
The review also found the pilot project "worked well and provides a sound basis for national roll-out". However this never happened.
Ms Harney reiterated yesterday she was committed to providing screening across the State but gave no timeframe for doing so.
The Minister, who is currently visiting cancer facilities in Canada, said the screening should be provided for the national programme by GPs and efforts would be made to get them to agree to this during the renegotiation of their contracts. Talks with GPs on new contracts began in December at the Labour Relations Commission. They resume on February 22nd.
"Any remuneration arrangements agreed must be capable of delivering a high uptake among women," Ms Harney said.
Dr Martin Daly, chairman of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, said he welcomed the plan. He said GPs had carried out the screening for the pilot programme in the midwest and had done so very successfully. They were paid a fee for doing so and if all GPs were to provide the service now as part of a national programme, their practices would have to be properly resourced to do so. The GPs would have to be paid a fee.
The Irish Cancer Society said it welcomed the news that the issue of rolling out a cervical cancer screening programme "is moving along the political agenda".
Its chief executive, John McCormack, said he hoped the negotiations with GPs would be concluded in a timely fashion.
Fine Gael's health spokesman, Dr Liam Twomey, claimed Ms Harney's statement was an effort to appear to be doing something when in fact she had failed to act.
"Since negotiations with GPs for the screening programme in the pilot area have been concluded and are working, why can't this successful model be rolled out nationally right away?" he asked.