Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very disappointed. I do not know who prepared the Minister of State's response. This matter was specifically about scoliosis. This was not about the National Treatment Purchase Fund or waiting lists generally. This was a very focused Commencement matter about 170 children with scoliosis. It was as a result of an episode of "Today with Claire Byrne" on RTÉ last week and correspondence that had been sent to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Health and the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Kelly. There is no comfort in the Minister of State's reply. What do I say when I pick up the phone in ten minutes' time to speak to the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, whose members asked me to make a case for them here today?

The reply does not talk about the systemic failure the Taoiseach spoke about and is on the record as having spoken about. It does not talk about the severe regrets expressed by the Tánaiste or children's experiences of long waiting lists or the need to remain conscious of the burdens that are placed on the families concerned. None of that is addressed in the Minister of State's response.I respect the Minister of State. He has a task to do and he is delivering the substance of this message on behalf of the Department but I ask him to go back to it and say this is urgent. It relates specifically to the 172 children who want to know when they are having their treatment. They do not want to hear, for the fourth time, that their treatment has been deferred. I thank the Minister of State for giving the Department’s response but I respectfully ask him to go back to the Department and say he is not happy with it. It is not comprehensive and it does not give comfort to the children and families involved.