Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept the Deputy's very sincere interest. He is right that this is a very important issue. When I became Minister for Health, there was a brand new theatre at Crumlin hospital in which procedures could be performed but that was closed. It is open now. Nurses have been hired and a new consultant orthopaedic surgeon is working there. There were 312 children waiting for such scoliosis procedures on 9 February and 247 on 22 September. We have got to continue to drive that down. We are putting additional resources in place. We have hired the extra surgeon and will hire more surgeons in 2018 in order that we might get that theatre open for at least five days a week. I want to see that happen.

We are going to use every tool available. That is why some children who can have their procedures carried out in the Mater or Cappagh - older children often are being transferred there. Some children have very successfully had their surgery carried out in Stanmore in the UK and have reported positive results. In my time as Minister for Health, I have not seen the HSE make such a proactive and determined effort - as well they should because it is far too high a waiting list - to get this down. They are working extraordinarily hard and we will resource them every step of the way to get there.

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