Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I will be sharing time with Deputy Paul Murphy. I welcome everyone in the Public Gallery tonight - the young people and their parents. We, too, will be supporting the motion, which is very good.

We have been here before. It is only five or six months ago that we discussed the same issue. It does not give me any pleasure to say it but successive Governments have let the families down. That is not a personal jibe at the Minister. I do not try to personalise issues, but the Minister will admit that the Government and those which preceded it have failed these families. The main thing is to get this right rather than getting it wrong and having to come back here in another year's time. It is in all our interests that the children get the interventions they need.

There was a watershed moment in 2017. I remember the then Minister, Deputy Harris, stating that no child would be waiting for more than four months. I said, "Fair play to him for saying that". However, what he said did not come to fruition. In fact, waiting times have either stagnated or increased. That is extremely disappointing.

There is a level of mistrust, anger and frustration among the families affected. That is difficult to calculate and quantify when you see your child suffering and in pain without timely intervention.

We have highly qualified medical practitioners in this country, we have a world-class system and we have very wealthy people. However, the children to whom the motion relates cannot get the interventions they need. It is mind-boggling that this keeps happening.

Establishing a task force is a good idea. It gives people outside the medical profession a democratic voice. It is important not to have a paternalistic approach, as is the case with many issues in the system.

We have to learn from what we get right and what we get wrong, and what we can do right, here and internationally, around scoliosis surgery. It is really important to do that. Action is needed, I am sure the Minister will agree. I just hope we will not be back here in six or 12 months discussing this matter again.

I heard the Minister's contribution. The amendment is disappointing. There is no doubt about that. It was disappointing to hear what he had to say.

The families want to go beyond being in here in the Public Gallery or outside the Houses. They want to see their children getting the timely interventions they need. That is what they deserve. I hope we will not be back here in six months' time talking about the same issue.

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