Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I want to be very careful of the privacy of Mikey and his family but I have met him and I have met his family. I am aware of the various issues. On foot of meeting them, I put in train a process and perhaps I might speak to the Deputy about it privately rather than on the floor of the Dáil, recognising his privacy.

With regard to scoliosis and the issue of waiting times, it is a source of great frustration to me that there has been so much additional investment, both financial and personnel, into the system but we are not getting what I would regard as a commensurate increase in output or productivity. They sound like harsh words but I mean surgeries for children who need them. It is very important to look at the work the HSE internal auditor will do. The auditor will look at three specialisms, two of which will be surgical and one medical.

The auditor will examine the waiting list management within that, and I imagine that scoliosis will be one of those areas that will be examined. Again, I reiterate the importance of a central referral system, which manages it on behalf of the team, rather than individuals managing their own lists.

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