The Government have confirmed that a scoping inquiry into the current CervicalCheck scandal is likely.
It is expected the inquiry which will be led by an independent international expert body, will be held before a full commission inquiry is carried out in order to review the audits of 3,000 women affected by the scandal.
The decision to hold an inquiry comes after latest developments uncovered that more women could be affected by the ongoing controversy than previously thought.
It is expected the independent review will provide results by June, before a commission will carry out its own review of the scandal.
Meanwhile the government have also confirmed that redress scheme will be carried out in order to gather the facts surrounding the case and to see if there has been any breach of duty to women.
The Department of Health have also said the HSE will continue to review all 1,500 cases that were not included in the initial audit.
They will also directly contact women who have been greatly affected by the ongoing controversy.