David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

Simon Harris's record as a Minister and a leader is not one of competence, vision or progress. When I think of Simon Harris, I think of broken promises to children with scoliosis and spina bifida, compounded by false hope and children left in pain. Under Simon Harris's watch, children with chronic conditions and disabilities have been failed and let down time and again. Under Simon Harris' leadership, in place of a solution for these children was a long road of delayed care and poor health outcomes.

In 2017, when he was the Minister for Health, Simon Harris made that infamous, solemn promise that no child would be left waiting longer than four months for scoliosis surgery by the end of that year. It was a clear commitment that offered hope to worried families. Eight years later, however, that promise is a bitter memory. Today, 41 children have been waiting for longer than six months, never mind four months, for their life-changing surgery. Countless more children have been entirely removed from waiting lists because they have been left for so long that their condition has become inoperable. Precious children have lost not only their mobility but, tragically, their lives. Of course, my heart and thoughts are today with Harvey Morrison Sherratt and his parents, Gillian and Stephen.

In 2018, the Tánaiste established Children's Health Ireland, CHI, in law. That body is now set to be wound down. It is in crisis because of devastating failures under his watch and that of the Government. CHI has been the subject of several reviews and scandals, much of which it tried to hide from families and the Oireachtas. Families came to the Tánaiste. They came to us. We raised the issues in the Dáil time and again. Over six or seven years, we raised all of those scandals, the failures and lack of governance in Children's Health Ireland. We raised those issues with the Tánaiste time and again, as did those families. They were stonewalled and ignored. That is why they are now calling for a full, public, statutory and independent inquiry.

Despite the fact that he refuses to accept it, the Tánaiste did sign off on the contract for the children's hospital. We learned today that the 16th completion date will come and go. Construction started on the hospital the Tánaiste signed off on ten years ago and yet not one single child has been treated. How could anybody come into this House with a straight face and say they have confidence in someone who was the Minister for Health and gave a solemn commitment to children with scoliosis and spina bifida that was broken, who set up Children's Health Ireland only for that same entity to now be wound down in disgrace in the context of many of those failures and who signed the contract for a hospital that is in controversy and still not built?

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