Today marks the first meeting of the patients' forum to support the development of the national rare disease plan. As the Taoiseach knows, more than 300,000 people in Ireland have a rare disease. I welcome the initiative the Minister for Health has shown in reviewing and committing to implementing the recommendations of the Mazars report and in instigating the review of the national rare disease plan. That is a cause for optimism. Nonetheless, as we found out this year, there is no designated funding for new drugs for rare diseases and the plan depends on savings being made elsewhere. I am concerned about how the recommendations of the rare disease plan, when it is published, will be implemented in the future. In preparing for budget 2025 in the months to come, I impress on the Taoiseach the need to make an allocation to ensure whatever recommendations are made can be implemented.

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in the issue of rare diseases and orphan medicines. He and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, are two of the strongest advocates in the House on these issues. There was a change in the Revised Estimate in December in which we allocated a certain amount - I cannot recall the exact amount - for new medicines. It was not specifically for rare diseases but for new medicines generally. That means the HSE can approve new medicines out of the dedicated fund and from savings in the drugs budget more widely. I agree with the Deputy that it is important, when it comes to the strategies we produce, that we provide the funding to implement them. I know it has been a source of a lot of frustration, particularly in healthcare. There are some very good strategies and models of care but not always the funds to fully implement them.