Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this issue. I apologise; I was gathering notes when I came into the Chamber.

I want to join others by referring to poor little Harvey Morrison Sherratt and all that he endured, as well as the arduous campaign his family have waged for justice ever since his death. It is very important to recognise that there is going to be the statutory public inquiry that they have long sought. I look forward to that getting under way.

I know these are statements, but at the end of these statements, the Minister gets to respond to some of the points raised. I hope she will give some detail. We have certain briefing notes on what is at stake and we have read about it in the media, but it is important that the Minister gives whatever additional detail she can about the statutory public inquiry. Do not get me wrong: these public inquiries are very important. This campaign ran across the summer. Justice for Harvey trended on X, formerly Twitter, for several weeks and it was also front and centre of all newspapers in this country.

A statutory inquiry is crucially important. It is central to the ask of the family and has been a central political ask in these Houses for a long time. How long will it all take? Unfortunately, there are many Harvey Morrison Sherratts in queues in Ireland. Their families do not know when their children will get this all-important medical care. They also do not know what it will look like, when it will happen or where it will take place. A statutory inquiry is important, but timelines and some parameters would also be helpful at this point.

A whole other body of inquiry and investigation is also under way. CHI has suspended surgeons and so forth. I do not want to get into the depths of all of that. However, that there are two sides to this. Unapproved medical springs were used and that has been well-documented. There has been an in-depth investigation into that issue and the Minister and her Department were very much involved in that.

While I am not going to name people here today, there is a body of parents, whom I and many other Members from both sides of the House have met, who feel aggrieved that one of the key surgeons that their children was on the list to see is no longer performing surgery in Ireland for many reasons. This issue has to work its way through due process and all of that. One issue mentioned to me was that at an Oireachtas health committee meeting that took place on 8 July 2022 someone shone a spotlight on a €90 million scoliosis fund, which was misused. These parents believe that this issue has been used as a stick to beat a certain surgeon. It is important to say that on the record.

In the Minister's summing-up at the end of this debate, I ask that she gives the House any additional detail she is able to regarding the statutory public inquiry. It would be very much appreciated. She has been in this job for nine or ten months and, like my colleague who spoke previously, I have full faith in her to fulfil her duties. This problem was not of her making but she will be the Minister who oversees the establishment of the statutory inquiry and please God the outcome of it.

It is very important that Harvey's family are not locked out of the process. When inquiries are set up, parameters become very rigid. This needs to be delicately handled and Harvey's family needs to be front and centre in everything that happens over the coming months. Ultimately, there also needs to be a strategy that is effective, that does not involve arduous waits and that ensures children who have scoliosis have a pathway to treatment.

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