Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

One in seven people in this country is on a waiting list of some kind. We have the highest bed occupancy rate in the OECD. We have a shortage of doctors, nurses and therapists due to an ongoing recruitment embargo initiated during the bailout programme. I agree that any computer system that assists in reducing waiting lists is welcome, but that is not the solution.

I want to focus my remarks on the impact of lengthy waiting lists on children in particular. More than 10,000 children are waiting for more than 18 months for a hospital appointment. That figure has multiplied by a factor of 12 in two years on this Government's watch. The crisis is most acute in Dublin. The three Dublin children's hospitals have 80% of the total number of children on waiting lists, and 99% of those children have been waiting for 18 months or more. This is clearly a failure to meet the needs of the growing population in our capital city.

I will mention some cases in Dublin West, the Taoiseach's constituency, which demonstrate the extent of the problem. These are just some random people who have contacted my office recently. One mother has been waiting for a psychiatric appointment for her eight year old son who is partially blind, has autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, and is physically violent, including towards his teachers. There is one psychiatrist in Beechpark and the waiting list has been suspended for a full year. There will be no new appointments for an entire year.

Another mother contacted me who has been waiting for occupational therapy for her six year old daughter who has developmental issues. She failed an eyesight test. One can only imagine how traumatic it must have been for her to try to learn in school. Her mother paid privately for a diagnosis but cannot afford to pay privately for occupational therapy. Three members of staff are on long-term illness leave or maternity leave and have not been replaced.

In terms of autism and speech and language difficulties, people are waiting for eight to ten months for a needs assessment but when they get that assessment, they then have to go on another waiting list for therapy. Children are being left with no help whatsoever. As for orthodontic services, teeth are obviously considered a luxury, cosmetic item in this country.

What is the solution? We have these ongoing issues for children in particular but we have a refusal by this Government to use the Apple surplus. Ireland is one of the biggest corporate tax havens in the world. We partied here. It was great to hear some of the contributions from Fianna Fáil and, indeed, the Labour Party but we all know that they are collectively responsible for this situation thanks to the last ten years of the austerity bailout programme which they agreed with the EU and the IMF. The only solution is to use our wealth and resources to create a publicly funded national health service.

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