Vol. 441 No. 3
51 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Health the current position in relation to the establishment of genetic counselling services at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin 12; if the necessary finances have been made available for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
79 Mr. McGahon asked the Minister for Health whether a medical genetic consultant has been appointed; whether the necessary resources of a financial and administrative nature have been provided or are likely to be provided in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 79 together.
The position is that further additional funds have been allocated in 1994 to Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin for the establishment of a medical genetic counselling service, which is to be backed up by a medical genetic laboratory service also based at that hospital. A consultant medical geneticist/professor of human genetics has been appointed to head up the service, and is expected to take up duty at the hospital on 1 July, 1994.
In the meantime, the appointee has been actively involved in the assessment of equipment and other requirements for the medical genetics laboratory at the hospital. The question of appointing additional support staff to the service is under discussion at present between the hospital authorities and officers of my Department. It is expected that a full medical genetic counselling service will be available at the hospital by September 1994.
