Hundreds of CervicalCheck smear samples have expired before they could be read.

Health officials have said the samples are being allowed to go out of date due to a backlog of rechecks in the wake of the cervical scandal.

The bottleneck began to build after the Government offered free tests to anyone who was concerned about their test after the cases of Vicky Phelan and Emma Mhic Mhathúna were revealed.

According to figures in today's Irish Times, the number of CervicalCheck smear tests jumped by more than 50% between July 2017 and June of this year.

The jump saw the wait time for test results jump from an average of six-to-eight weeks to 13 weeks in some cases.

The Irish Medical Organisation has warned its members that the delays are likely to persist into the new year.

Expiration

The data, compiled by CervicalCheck in late August, also revealed that 110 samples taken in July could not be read as they had expired.

A total of 87 of the test expired because they were not processed by a laboratory in a timely fashion.

On the Pat Kenny Show this morning, Kerry GP Bríd Walsh said it has been a tough time for patients.

"As a woman and a woman who has smears, it is really disheartening to have to tell somebody, 'well we have to do it again a second or maybe a third time in one year," she said.

"It is not east or comfortable but it is necessary.

"So the positive is that people - and women - are being more pro-active in their health and are getting checked."

She said the scandal may make the health service stronger in the long run.

"That is how you find where you have mistakes; where you have vulnerable points," she said.

"You sharpen and tighten up your technique and you improve overall."

Compensation

Separately, it has emerged that more victims of the scandal could be dragged through court in their fight for compensation.

The Irish Independent reports that an expert group set up to examine "alternative mechanisms" of redress to spare women the ordeal of attending court has yet to meet.

It was due to meet in two months - but has now been handed additional tasks by Government and will not report back until February 2019.