Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is fully committed to improving genetics services, including through Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin.

Genetics and genomics services have the potential to improve healthcare services, allowing for more targeted treatments and better patient outcomes.

A number of important developments are already underway. I recently launched the first National Strategy for Accelerating Genetics and Genomics Medicine in Ireland. This aims to build a strong patient and family centred service that can be accessed equitably across the country.

In 2023, I approved €2.7 million to implement the Strategy, including the appointment of staff. This investment will support the establishment of a National Office for Genetics and Genomics and the appointment of 16 new staff including a National Director for Genetics and Genomics, a Bioinformatics Lab Director, 6 genetic counsellors, and 2 clinical genetic consultants.

Another important step in improving genetics services is understanding our genetic staffing needs and genetic testing capacity. This will be achieved through the creation of a new National Testing Directory for Genetics & Genomics. The Directory is subject to live procurement. It will map the current genetic tests conducted across Ireland, allowing for more transparent referrals. In future this will be a core tool for driving improvements in testing and staffing.