Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is absolutely right. Rare diseases are not that rare and that is certainly the case if one puts them all together. It includes diseases such as cystic fibrosis, haemophilia and muscular dystrophy. Often it is a delayed or missed diagnosis and the sooner patients can get a diagnosis the better for everyone; not only themselves but the wider health service.

As the Deputy knows, we have a five-year national strategy in relation to genomic resources and rare diseases.

Some €2.7 million has been allocated for the implementation of this strategy in its first year and that includes the establishment of a new national genetics and genomics office. I understand that recruitment of some positions has been affected by the agreed controls on recruitment of management and administration grades. I am advised that recruitment should now progress in the near future and I will make further inquiries in that regard. I should say that to help meet existing demand, specialist roles have been allocated to the following locations: six genetic counsellors to Beaumont Hospital; for HSE west and north west, that is Galway University Hospital, there is a campaign under way; for Children's Health Ireland the post is advertised; for Dublin midlands, which is St. James's Hospital and St. Vincent's University Hospital, the job specification is in development; for the south west, which would be based in Cork, the post is progressing; and for HSE mid-west, which would be based in Limerick, again that post is progressing.

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