Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To use the Minister's language, we are dealing with children who have been left in inhumane conditions. He also said that he will not say that everything that could be done has been done. Once again, therefore, we are accepting that there has been abject failure. We have absolutely failed to deliver for some of the most needy of our citizens. Everyone mentioned the promises that were made by the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, in 2017 to the effect that every child would be dealt with, whether they were affected by spina bifida or scoliosis or in need of complex spinal orthopaedic surgery or whatever. We have failed abjectly.

It was fabulous to meet the children and their parents outside. I do not know how they keep going. Our requests are straightforward, including a task force that is sufficiently independent and can do the business. We know which resources we need. The Minister spoke about a dedicated spinal surgery service or management unit. We need to see it. We need to see timelines for delivery, because the people who need it are Ada, her mother Paula and the rest of the family who are here. There is also Kirsty Rose from Dundalk, whom I met and who I spoke to about Daisy and Layla. As time goes on and they spend more time on waiting lists, they worry that their conditions will become worse and that the possibility of an operation will become that bit more distant. We do not know what the long-term ramifications will be. We need solutions and timelines. We really need to stop the pain. None of this is good enough.

Once again, we have absolutely failed those families and children. We need to do better. I do not know how anyone that side of the House can say "We are offering solutions, but we realise that what has happened to date has not been good enough". We really need delivery. I do not like making these kinds of speeches. It is an abject failure when people have to travel to Leinster House to talk to politicians about these issues. We need to deliver for them, and we need to do so now.

See this speech in context