Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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269. To ask the Minister for Health the measures taken by his Department to support and expand clinical trials in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51597/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In May of this year, I established national research ethics committees (NRECs) in the areas of clinical trials of medicines and clinical investigations of medical devices, as part of an ongoing revision of the  framework for ethics review of health research in Ireland. These new committees, supported by the National Office for Research Ethics Committees, represent a major step forward in Irish health research, and will play a key role in enabling Ireland to meet its obligations under the new EU Clinical Trials Regulation and the EU Medical Device Regulation.

The Health Research Board (HRB) recently announced €22 million in funding to further develop patient-focused clinical research infrastructure in Ireland. This funding will keep Ireland at the forefront of clinical research and trials and increase opportunities for patients to participate in and benefit from them. It also increases the supports available to investigators to pursue more investigator-led clinical trials, with HRB support expanding from three Clinical Research Facilities/Centres (CRF/Cs) to five.

Located at hospital sites and supported by universities, CRF/Cs are a key part of the national clinical trials infrastructure and are a huge asset for researchers, clinicians and industry partners wishing to undertake clinical trials. They provide the space, facilities, governance, services and supports, and, most importantly, the skills and expertise necessary to enable high-quality, safe, and compliant clinical trials.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Health if an update will be provided on the implementation of the new model of care for obesity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51598/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.