Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to just touch on two other issues. One is the cystic fibrosis drug available for children. I think there are about 35 children in the country who require this particular medication and it is not being made available. What is the timeframe for coming to a decision on that particular drug?

Second, a steering group for the development of a national genetics and genomics strategy was set up. We are way behind other countries in relation to the whole issue around genomics and genetics. Even compared to Northern Ireland, the number of people working in that area in the State is only about 16, whereas in Northern Ireland it is far more. What is the timeframe in relation to that review? I always worry about committees being set up without any clear timeframe put in place. We need to employ many more people in that area if we want to make sure that, for instance, the family members of a person with a particular medical condition that may be genetic also can be tested for that particular medical problem. We appear to be way behind other countries on that issue.