Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

There are still 226 children waiting on spinal surgery. Of these, 34 children have been waiting longer than six months. There are also many more who were removed from waiting lists because they were left for so long that they have become inoperable. One of these is a young lad called Mikey. He is from Mayo and is aged 16. He has severe scoliosis. Last September Mikey's parents were told by CHI that he is not fit for surgical intervention. The letter did not indicate any pathway for Mikey. His parents have asked many times for a second opinion abroad. Last month my colleague Deputy Conway-Walsh, who is from the county, raised this with the Taoiseach and he stated he was of the view that a second opinion should be facilitated. The family has had no update from CHI in this regard. Will the Minister make sure that Mikey and children like him get the second opinion they need?

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