Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Last week this House unanimously passed a motion, part of which referred to the fact that we wanted to cherish all the children of the nation equally. The case is not as the Taoiseach says. A theatre will be closed from July to December, two theatres and 20 beds will be closed for the summer months of July and August and there will be a serious cutback of outpatient appointments by 8,500. The Taoiseach and I have both visited Crumlin hospital. It is one of the most fascinating and enthralling areas of medicine to see what can be done for very young children. The Taoiseach is aware of the sensitivity and stress this causes to parents from all over the country.

Crumlin has been deemed to be more than efficient by all standards. It has the required personnel, doctors and facilities. Consultants say children could be treated in other places in Dublin and we have evidence of children going to other hospitals out of the jurisdiction where appointments can be arranged immediately. It is a daft monetary policy that the first thing that happens in terms of the HSE and hospitals is that wards close and operations are cancelled while the lives of critically ill children are put at risk with all the stress that goes along with that. I do not believe there are not areas within the HSE that should be a greater priority for saving than this. It seems, based on evidence given to me by people working in the HSE that wastage in some areas is obscene. We have a children's hospital that measures up in terms of efficiency, standards and quality yet it will be closed down for large sections of this year because of a budgetary overrun. Is the Taoiseach prepared to call in Professor Drumm and his people to advise them that this situation is intolerable? We cannot stand by when critically ill children are not able to be treated in a hospital that has the staff and facilities to do so. The children are placed at risk as a consequence and in some cases they need to be taken to other hospitals where they can be treated. A Government Deputy has described a case from her constituency as shameful and disgraceful. It is not the kind of health system we want. In respect of standing over this decision, is the Government in a position to say that there is no other area within the HSE that should not have been cut first? At the very least if we aspire to cherish all the children of the nation equally, we should not be withdrawing medical treatment from critically ill children.

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