Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This time last year I had no idea what bilateral cochlear implants were. Now, 12 months on, I have no excuse. I know exactly what they are, what is involved in getting them and what they mean to the many children who, sadly, have heretofore been denied the prospect of obtaining the ability to hear like most of the rest of us. This challenge was first brought to my attention by the local media in Drogheda, after which I contacted the Connor family, who will not mind being mentioned. Earlier in the debate Deputy Adams referenced a number of people he had been in contact with. The Connor family have a son, Alex, who, like hundreds of other children across the country, needs the kinds of intervention that are in this motion and the amendment.

As the House will be aware, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, hosted a very constructive meeting with the Happy New Ear group officials and experts in audiology services in her office last May. It was clear to me from that meeting that Deputy Lynch and her officials have a very real awareness and understanding of the requirements of the children involved. We have reached a stage at which that awareness and understanding must be translated into real and concrete action. All international medical evidence points to bilateral cochlear implants being best practice in terms of patient outcome and, ultimately, long-term costs and efficiency in the health service. That important point should not be lost on the many people who see the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

For the patient, bilateral implants offer a vastly improved experience in hearing quality, not just range and volume but also the ability to discern and filter different sounds. We all take spatial awareness for granted when we cross a road or hear someone call our name. That is very severely limited if only one implant is used. The effect was described to me as being like the loss of perceived depth when one loses an eye. On the medical front, the active nerve endings needed for cochlear implants will die if not stimulated during cortical development, leaving possible future technology futile. It is not always possible to select the better ear for the implant. We should never depend on guesswork, no matter how informed it might be.

One of the most compelling arguments for bilateral implants is the possibility of device failure. The impact of that was described to us in earlier presentations by the excellent Happy New Ear group. This technology produces seemingly miraculous results, but technology sometimes fails. We all know that. When members of the campaign group visited the Dáil some months ago one of the parents told us a very compelling and emotive story. Her child had been happily playing with the type of noisy toy beloved of all children and seemingly designed to drive parents mad. The child said the toy was broken, holding it up in the expectation all children have that mammies and daddies can fix everything. The toy was not broken. It continued to whistle, buzz and shriek as these toys do. The implant was broken and the small child, with no understanding or explanation, had been plunged back into a world of silence.

There are some things mammies and daddies cannot fix. There are many things only we in this House, and in this Administration, can fix. The system as it pertains to these children is not working and we have the power to fix it. It is so very important for the children concerned, their parents and the Happy New Ear group that the HSE national services plan to be developed over the next few weeks reflects the excellent, very strong and robust case made by the experts and families in recent months. I congratulate the families on the level of engagement they have had with public representatives across the political spectrum, the impact they have had on HSE and Department of Health officials and the Ministers, Deputies Reilly and Kathleen Lynch, who will do their utmost to ensure the things we in this House want to see happening are made happen in the HSE's national service plan.

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