Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the crucial issue of child well-being in terms of children with scoliosis, in particular three children who had unauthorised metal springs inserted in them by a surgeon. The report was published at 12 noon, so I have only had the chance to read the executive summary so far but it makes for pretty horrifying reading, including making the point that the type of metal is "known to corrode in the presence of moisture". In other words, it could have effectively been rusting in children, which is horrific to think of. The Taoiseach made the point earlier, which I agreed with, that what happened should not have happened and that an important responsibility needs to be taken here by the surgeon responsible for buying the springs and inserting them into the children. However, the broader question remains unanswered, which is how this was able to happen and continue over a period of time. It may have continued were it not for a very brave whistleblower who spoke out resulting in parliamentary questions and a series of important articles by Pádraig Ó Meiscill in The Ditch. Those questions remain unanswered, which is why the families are calling for a public inquiry into everything that happened here - how it was able to take place. Does the Taoiseach agree with this call? Does he agree that it should be expanded to include all of the operations performed by this surgeon, including those on adults? I have been contacted by at least one adult with serious concerns about how they were treated. I raised it previously in the Dáil. If the surgeon was operating in this way with children, why not with adults?

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