Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak about the issue of Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin and I compliment Deputy James Reilly on moving the motion and allowing a real opportunity to discuss and debate a matter on the minds of many people in the weeks since the matter first arose. The number of e-mails we received and the concern expressed by many people surprised me. According to the hospital, the cutbacks announced and still in place will result in longer waiting times for assessment and non-emergency surgery. This issue came up on the doors in recent weeks when I canvassed all across Tipperary South. People know that we are in a terrible time financially. They can feel it in their pockets and in the job losses they see around them or which they may even be experiencing themselves.

However, people on the doorsteps in Tipperary South were sure about one thing - there is a bottom line in politics. That bottom line means that children should get the health care they need. Children are waiting in pain for vital surgery or wait years for assessment while their health and sometimes their education are cruelly put on hold. People have told Fianna Fáil over and over again where is the bottom line in politics. They do not want older people to have their medical cards taken from them, they do not want children to be desperately in need of health care and to go without.

I represent the people of Tipperary South when I point to the burden that families carry when a child is sick. Parents will travel, they will juggle school and child care and jobs and other children. They will do whatever is needed to get that sick child the care he or she needs. We in Dáil Éireann need to honour that commitment to parents and the struggle which young children with serious illness go through every day. I ask the Minister, Deputy Harney, to ensure these children receive the essential surgery, assessment and out-patient care they deserve.

Ward closures and surgery cancellations are not good enough. Patients in Tipperary South are very grateful for the excellent paediatric services provided in the county hospital in Clonmel. However, they need the back-up available in Crumlin. These cutbacks in Crumlin will affect children all over the country as the most seriously ill children will not have the services in Crumlin and will be more dependent on their local service. This will only create more pressure on those services and fewer patients will be cared for.

Every parent in this country fears their child being seriously ill above all else. Every other disaster can be handled, but a seriously sick child is devastating and this has been the case for many parents. Parents in Ireland believe this Government has lost all touch with them. It has created longer waiting lists, cuts in surgery numbers and longer times for assessment. To make matters worse, this Government has done nothing to tackle the waste in the HSE. The waste stems from the number of administrators hired by the HSE and without the permission of the Department of Health and Children. When I spoke to health care professionals in south Tipperary they pointed to the waste in medical supplies, the numbers of products that are over-ordered and cannot be re-used due to the sell-by dates, but the HSE procurement processes does not allow for these orders to be reduced as required. This is a significant issue that needs to be addressed by the Government and the HSE. We need to address the issue of wastage.

I have met health professionals who are very concerned about the procurement process and the way it is being handled. The Government has created a monster. I am asking it to stop the monster and protect the children of Ireland. They need the Minister's support on this issue. Many people all over the country are very concerned. I urge her to take away that fear and to issue a statement after this debate promising that the children of Ireland will be protected so that any care they need can be guaranteed by the Government. We all agree that cutbacks and savings must be made but not at the cost of our children.

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