Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

We should be clear on why we are having this debate now because I think some Deputies on the Government benches are confused about it. We are having it now because the Government tabled this motion.

The Government chose to put down the motion of confidence this week in what is clearly, blatantly and openly an attempt to avoid scrutiny of its appalling record, especially on children's health, right before the presidential election next week. That is what is in the papers and that is what we can read. That is why we are here in this fashion today. It is a political stroke that is typical of this Government. The same sort of short-sighted, politically motivated logic is what I assume prompted the Tánaiste to give the solemn promise he gave when he was Minister for Health that no child would wait longer than four months for a scoliosis operation. It is what should be the case, obviously. I am sure it seemed like a convenient thing to say at the time to get the heat off him as Minister for Health, but it was not true. What happened in reality was Harvey Morrison Sherratt was forced to wait 33 months for scoliosis surgery while the curve of his spine went from 75 degrees to 130 degrees. Many more children are still waiting as we speak. The latest figures show that 40 children have been waiting for more than six months for spinal surgery while their parents listen, appalled, to the never-ending stream of scandals emergency from CHI. Would they have had to wait so long if the consultants were not off performing unnecessary surgeries on profit? Will we ever know the truth? The other reason we are here discussing this issue is Harvey’s courageous parents Gillian and Stephen, who have never given up, never stopped speaking out and forced an uncaring Government to listen. If they had not spoken out and if thousands of people had not supported them and come onto the streets in August, we would not be here. At that protest, Harvey’s mother Gillian told the crowd:

He had to have his whole life put on hold while he waited. We cancelled family holidays, cancelled our wedding, postponed his sister’s heart surgery as he sat and waited for a date for surgery. We had to watch him deteriorate, cry in pain, struggle to breathe and lose the sparkle in his eye over those 33 months. Most importantly though, it robbed him of his childhood, it robbed him of his comfort, it robbed him of quality of life and it robbed us of the opportunity to make precious family memories with him. That, to us, is something we will never get over.

People came out to fight for justice for Harvey, to fight against the wait he had to endure, but also because he symbolises all the children who have to wait. I mean the children who have to wait for scoliosis surgery, the ones who have to wait for appropriate school places, the ones who have to wait for assessments of need and the ones who have to wait for therapies.

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