Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right. If I was just saying I was sorry or listing a number of things we will do in the future that would not be enough but that is not a fair representation of what I have said or done. There will be 447 spinal procedures carried out in 2018, compared with 371 in 2017 and 224 in 2016. The figures do not lie and we are dramatically increasing the number of scoliosis operations being carried out in this country. We are not done and we are not there yet but we are significantly increasing it by any measure or metric.

In addition we have funded two new consultant posts. They are with the consultant appointments committee and they will be appointed this year. I acknowledge the Deputy has been advocating for extra capacity for some time and this will provide it through additional theatre sessions in Crumlin. The Deputy rightly asked where the plan is and that is a fair point. The plan is co-designed. It is written by the advocacy groups with the clinicians. These are surgeons who the Deputy and I and any parent with a child with scoliosis would know who are carrying out the operations. It is an excellent plan, chaired by Brian O'Mahony who has done great work. It will be published in July and I am happy to brief the Deputy in this regard as well. The advocacy groups have received correspondence telling them the date of the publication, which I believe might be 12 July.

Cappagh is now doing more and we have had the extra outpatient appointments in Crumlin on Saturdays. We have more to do but we genuinely are making a lot of progress.

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