Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the motion and I commend Sinn Féin on raising this important issue. It beats some of the nonsense, grandstanding type of Private Members' motions that have been tabled over the year. I hope that in tabling this motion Sinn Féin will be prepared in its response to accept the bona fides of the Minister of State, her commitment to dealing with the question and her acceptance of the broad issues raised. A sensible approach in the House will progress important social issues such as this which are truly above politics and which merit addressing in the most sincere and proper way.

Two to four persons in every thousand of the population have permanent childhood hearing impairment. This is a high number of individuals. I have a great personal interest in this topic.

As one of the families with which I have been great friends throughout my adult life has been severely affected by this issue, I have a personal interest in it from that perspective. It is also a matter that could have an impact on any of us in this House.

Conventional wisdom and the accepted best advice are that a bilateral cochlear implant is the way to proceed in a case of permanent hearing impairment in a young child; therefore, we should move to achieve this as quickly as possible. That should be made clear at the outset and I am firmly of that view; therefore, it is only a question of deciding on the methodology to be used and allocating funding. It is worth indicating the services that are provided free. There is free screening, assessment, investigation and treatment, while devices are provided. Speech and language therapy is also provided and there are visiting teachers from the deaf services. It is only proper that these services are in place. Since 1995 in Beaumont Hospital there have been 700 cochlear implants, of which 90 were carried out in 2012. Of these, 42 were provided for children and 48 for adults.

An important document was alluded to by the Minister of State and we cannot progress without referencing it, despite Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn's remarks. It must be our benchmark and reference point. I refer to the 2011 report of the national audiology review group. It provides a blueprint and makes the following main recommendations. It argues that there should be universal screening for newborns. This is place in three HSE areas and the service will be rolled out in the fourth. The continuation and development of the programme are very significant achievements by the Administration. Some €3.7 million was made available in 2011 to begin implementation of the review group's recommendations, while €1.9 million was made available in 2013. These are tangible achievements and although it may be unpleasant to reference it, the investment is happening at a time when we are-----

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