Health Procurement: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-29 ============================================================ Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Dún Laoghaire I appreciate Senators Kyne and Byrne bringing forward this motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss this important issue. It is timely as well because there are a couple of updates that I can give that will be helpful in this context. We have a shared goal in the motion to enhance our genetic and genomic capability and to deliver high-quality care alongside value for money for the State. We are on the same page and it is a particularly timely conversation. As a number of Members said, the value that genomics and genetic testing can give us is so important. It is sort of a North Star, moving from a one-size-fits-all healthcare system to something that is much more individualised, and we heard some really good examples of that today. I recently visited the Lambe research institute in Galway, which is connected to University Hospital Galway. I was so struck by the quality of the science and the way in which cancer genes are being manipulated against themselves. Forgive me if I am stating that in an unscientific way but Members will understand what I am saying. I was so impressed by the individualised approach to cancer treatment and diagnosis. That is, of course, where we want to go for many reasons. Sophisticated technology is used to deliver test results. It is a rapidly advancing high-tech area. As Senator Rabbitte said, Ireland is ideally placed to be at the front of high-quality genetic and genomic services. It shortens the time to diagnose. It eliminates inappropriate or ineffective treatments, and it really does improve patient outcomes while reducing costs. The potential for transforming our system is abundantly clear, as is the need to ensure prudent investment in genetic and genomic services and the required infrastructure, as well as making sure we are getting the absolute best in terms of quality in that regard. I will give Members a couple of updates on what we are doing. Our services are currently expanding in terms of workforce and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the population, as well as trying to keep pace with the technological developments that continue to happen in this space. We are funding this solution. In the programme for Government, we made a commitment to support genomic medicine for the entire population, allocating a dedicated budget of €4.5 million. That funding is currently being converted into front-line delivery. We have sanctioned 26 specific roles, such as consultant clinical geneticist, genetic counsellor, laboratory scientists and the administration that goes all around that for the specialist engine room of this service. We would love to be further along than we are, but we are getting there. We will get there. We need to develop more national capacity and self-sufficiency in this respect. We have been using other solutions as we get to that point. The HSE National Genetics and Genomic Office was established in 2023 to implement our national strategy on genetics and genomics. Thanks to the efforts of both organisations, we have seen the establishment of some key service infrastructure through ongoing implementation of the national strategy. In January 2025 – the year has gone so quickly - I launched the national genomic test directory for rare and inherited diseases, which will enhance genetic and genomic clinical services by promoting evidence-based, equitable and timely access to everybody in respect of genetic and genomic tests, with the drive that patients receive the right test in the right place at the right time, requested by the right person. Today, I am very pleased to announce another key milestone in implementing our reforms with the establishment of the national genomic processing service, which is going to be based in Beaumont Hospital. That unit will look to centralise the processing of requests for testing what previously had to be sent out of the country in essentially a disaggregated fashion out of necessity to get to the point where we are today. That is a big step forward. It is a vital first step in providing an evidence base for expanding our national capacity and repatriating our testing services appropriately. Our colleagues in the HSE have finalised the requirements and hired the staff, and I can confirm it will be fully operational from Monday, 16 February. That is quite good. We will take that on a Thursday morning. Regarding the procurement of genomic tests, a request for information has also been issued by the HSE and is currently live, and it concludes at the end of this month. That is going to allow the HSE to identify more providers with proven capacity and expertise to deliver outsource testing and clinical support, and the insight gained for that process will help inform our future strategy and help us to partner in the best, most intelligent way, using all of the services that are available to us in what is an absolutely leading centre for AI and medical technology. In addition to those developments, we also have a proposal from the HSE to develop a national genomic medicine centre. That is really exciting and really cool. The idea here is that we ultimately consolidate genetic and genomic testing services in Ireland. That planned facility would achieve a number of key overarching aims that would make our genetics and genomic services genuinely accessible to all. I am so determined in relation to health that we have an equitable system, that is, equity in respect of income and geography. I want everybody, whether they are in Clifden, Cork, Donegal or Dublin, to have the same access to high-quality diagnostics in a timely way, supervised by a national clinical centre of excellence and expertise. The planned area of focus would create a required laboratory infrastructure, as well as making sure we have the staffing to do extended testing. That would help reduce the number of tests sent overseas. The proposed centre would also help build a required capacity to co-ordinate, where deemed necessary, the outsourcing of testing to accredited laboratories, which is fine. The business case for the genomic medical centre is currently being prepared, including progressing the various stages of approval required for such infrastructure. It is also going to serve as our national hub for the digital infrastructure that we need to manage our own genomic data. We are trying to look at this as a big picture project through the Genome of Ireland research project. We are currently sequencing the genomes of 1,200 individuals to create a reference database that actually reflects the genetic variation of Irish people. By doing that, we are not just helping people today, but trying to build a library, an understanding and a database, evolving over time. This library of knowledge will support our health service and the wider clinical and research community for generations to come. The Genome of Ireland project represents Ireland's contribution to the wider Genome of Europe project. These projects are what are going to help us really drive research and developments in a broad population health data space. We know that we cannot do that as an island of 5.5 or 6 million people alone, we need to be part of a broader collective. That is what the impetus for the European health data space has been, the legislation for which will be implemented stage by stage by my Department over the next period. That is something we will discuss again and again. I acknowledge two issues that were raised during the debate and provide some additional clarification. It is true that genetic and genomic tets were sent overseas for a period in the past. It was, of course, not what we wanted, but was of necessity as we built our own domestic capacity. However, where there have been genetic and genomic tests sent overseas, the process has been strictly governed by the Office of Government Procurement. In relation to transparency, I categorically reaffirm that any company, either in Europe or in the UK providing those services is legally bound by the same GDPR standards that we have here. I wish to affirm that. Senator Kyne referenced the target of 50% of genetic and genomic tests being done domestically. I am pleased to confirm that milestone has been surpassed. That is another good step, with internal volumes exceeding 40,000 samples. However, self-sufficiency is our priority, and while we will always collaborate intelligently internationally to get the benefit of a broader population health understanding, our goal is self-sufficiency and domestic excellence. Because of the highly specialised nature of certain genomic tests, of course we will still give ourselves the facility to go abroad as an alternative to not doing that. Let us all be as intelligent in relation to that as possible. It is also important to consider the question of data ownership. In this regard, I wish to make a couple of points. The absolute priority for me as Minister for Health is that as we develop policy and infrastructure and as we lean into science, and in particular the science of population-based health, I am completely determined that the State, and the people of Ireland being exactly the same thing, will be the owners of that data. We will own our own data. We will work collaboratively with partner, but the State will exercise its imperative in respect of the appropriate ownership of the data of our own people. We are taking important legislative steps in that respect. The health information Bill, for example, gives us great clarity on that. It is already the case that the State, for example, has worked collaboratively with private hospitals, though with some difficulty prior to my coming into office, to make sure that the data held is also in the population health data of the Irish health system. Health data belongs to the State. Members will be aware that the health information Bill will be coming to the Seanad in due course. We have, of course, inserted all of the relevant safeguards for individual privacy, opt-out clauses, etc., but nevertheless, health data is an important research tool for all of us, and data ownership is key. The Bill is an important first step in ensuring that we can protect the data and the data research for clinical lives, and consent is absolutely key. However, the State will be ensuring the protection of data and the appropriate secondary use of data. Partnerships and collaboration with third level and private labs will also ensure appropriate control and use of data. That the State comes first is the important point in that respect, and that is evidenced by our gathering of the data from private hospitals in appropriate ways already. I cannot thank Members enough for the opportunity to discuss this specialised area of medicine. When we consider the possibilities for us in terms of being able to identify and treat different conditions in a very specialised and exciting way, and the contribution this could make to Ireland, not just in terms of health but also in terms of our economy, when we sit that alongside what is going to be, I hope, a really exciting project in respect of clinical trials - and we launched that strategy just before Christmas - this is a big opportunity for health, but also health research and health economy development. The IMF tells me that Ireland is the leading country for AI skills globally. Why would we not want to be at the front of all of that in respect of health as much as anywhere else? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-29