Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The concept of €1 billion is beyond the imagination of most of us, yet many multiples of this in taxpayers' money is being poured into the corrupt financial institutions that have helped to bring the economy to its knees. Public and political pressure, including the tabling of this motion, which we in Sinn Féin fully support, has apparently resulted in some respite from further cuts. The hospital remains in crisis because of the funding cuts of €9.1 million already imposed in 2009. As a result of these, children are suffering. Operations are being cancelled and postponed, parents and children are being put through anguish and agony and children could be more severely disabled as a result of entirely avoidable delays to the essential surgeries that they desperately need. The lives of some children may even be shortened.

In response to parents' distress, the Minister, Deputy Harney, can only resort again to her mantra about the need for the reorganisation of children's hospital services in Dublin. What is to occur to sick children in the meantime? One 13 year old girl with scoliosis has been on a waiting list for surgery since last August and has had her appointment for July cancelled. The older she gets, the worse the curvature of her spine, the more serious and perilous the surgery that she will face and the poorer her chances of living a near-to-normal life. In a reply to a Dáil question, the Minister claimed that the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, was seeking to arrange operations in the private system for this patient and others. When the family inquired, they found this was not the case.

The Minister's other stock solution - privatise, privatise, privatise - came unstuck yet again.

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