Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have raised this issue in the Dáil before. Five weeks ago, I raised a Topical Issue matter regarding a young lady who was 17 years old. Her name is Katie Byrne, and she has been waiting for a hip operation for 14 years. That is absolutely bonkers. In that Topical Issue debate, I said to the Minister who was substituting at the time that I had approached the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on 24 January this year with that full case file. As of today, I have not gotten as much as a response. It undermines me in my job and it undermines my credibility in my constituency. That is why I am raising this issue here today. It is not good enough that we are treated like this. Certainly, when dealing with a young lady who has been waiting for an operation for 14 years, it is simply not good enough. I want to put it on the record that responses from Ministers' Departments should be more forthcoming, so we can do our job.

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