Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)

I welcome the report. It is imperative that there is no delay in the roll-out of the recommendations it contains. There are three key issues. The first is how we deal with parents. Since the more than 2,000 letters were sent out, I have spoken to many parents. Without exaggerating, I can say they simply have not slept. They are totally numb at the thought that their child was put through a procedure that simply was not necessary. Many in this House understand what it is like to hand their child over to a surgeon in a hospital. The word "trust" comes to mind. At the moment, the trust between the healthcare system and these parents has completely broken . I ask the Minister to bear this in mind. With the consultations with the parents, they simply should not be sent back to the hospitals that already dealt with their children. A support helpline is warmly welcomed. Equally important, it is essential - and this is where it was great to see the report fully published - for the parents to be fully updated. I call for parents or their representatives to be included in the full review process.

I welcome the action has been taken and that there will be independent clinical reviews of every case. I welcome that independent experts from outside Ireland will conduct a thorough examination to ascertain if the operations were necessary. I understand the nature of this inspection will be complicated and take time. Bearing this in mind, I request that this process gets the full support of the Department of Health and is carried out as quickly as possible. As previously mentioned, the stress of not knowing for parents is hard to understand.

We must ensure that the management oversight and procedures are in place to ensure this cannot happen again. What happened with the governance of CHI? As a parent, I was lucky enough to reject such a call for procedure on my son. The questions on the lips of every parent affected who reached out to me are why and how. I agree with the full review on the findings in a sober manner and allowing due process for all involved. However, if we do not answer these parents' questions, we are simply not doing our duty. Why would a surgeon suggest carrying out an unnecessary medical procedure on a child? CHI has simply failed us on this. Individuals must be made accountable. That is the crux of this report. They have to stand up and look at themselves in the mirror. It is simply inexcusable that this was allowed to happen in this century. I await the review arising from this report with huge personal interest. I am aware that the Government is not responsible for this, but we are fully and firmly responsible for how we respond.

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