Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He has a difficult task because he has come to this Chamber not once but twice to convey I do not know what to this House. I submitted a Commencement matter relating to scoliosis on 19 October in the hope the Minister would come to the House. I printed it off earlier because I wanted to read it again. Of course, the Minister could not come to the House. He is a busy man, and I appreciate that. The Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, came to the House instead and the same Minister of State is here today. The transcript from that date reads better than the speech he was given to read into the record today.

I welcome the parents and people involved in the Scoliosis Advocacy Network and support group who are tuned in tonight. Many of us have received emails from them over the past few days. I wrote to them and told them this debate was going to happen. I thought the Minister would be here because that was my initial understanding. I raised the issue with the Minister of State during that Commencement matter on 19 October and told him how disappointed we were. We did not want a history lesson then and we do not want one now. I do not mean to be argumentative with him because I have a lot of time for him and respect him greatly. He is, ultimately, given a briefing note and must come to the House and deliver the message. We do not want any more history lessons; we want answers.

On a recent episode of "Today with Claire Byrne", the co-founder of the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, Ms Claire Cahill, said there had been no engagement with the Minister for Health despite repeated requests. I raised it as a concern at that time. The Minister of State is not in a position to tell me now whether the Minister has engaged with that group. I put on the record of the House what those people had told me. They said they had difficulty engaging. I then asked that we would have further meetings and was told by the Department and the officials that it was not possible because the Minister was under pressure. I also understand that. However, today was set as the date for an engagement and there was an expectation that the Minister could come to the House. I understand he cannot be with us, but I would have thought he would have equipped Deputy Feighan or another Minister of State in the Department with an answer.

The people want no more history lessons. They do not want any more hysterics or promises. They certainly did not find what it helpful that the Taoiseach, when asked about this issue, said that the delays in treatment are not because of the lack of resources but reflect a systemic failure. What does "systemic failure" mean? I know what it means. What is he saying? If this issue is not about resources but is the result of a systemic failure, how he is going to address the systemic failure? How are we going to deal with the families? Their children are in agony. When I spoke to the Minister of State in October, 172 patients were waiting on the list. We heard excuses about the cyberattack and Covid-19. We are talking about paediatrics.We are speaking about the hospitals in Crumlin and on Temple Street. We are speaking about specialist hospitals doing specialist care with children. Why are people waiting? No disrespect to the Minister of State but he has come in here and spoken about what was done in 2018 and 2019 in his speech. Towards the end of his speech he mentioned the 2018 investment. For God's sake, I am not interested in what happened in 2018. I would like to think all of those children have been treated but, as the Minister of State and I know, they have not all been treated.

What is important today is what the people want. They want to meet the Minister. This is the message I want the Minister of State to take back. I am putting everyone on notice that I will stand here next Tuesday to ask somebody to tell me whether the Minister has agreed to meet them with the date, the venue, the time and what will happen. People want a timeline for these operations and no more excuses. What is happening? They do not want to know what we did in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. They want to know what we will do for these children now in 2021 and 2022. Let us be upfront with these people and stop making excuses. One thing these people have is the support of their organisations and their families. They want to support their children. More importantly, they have support of the surgeons, the nursing staff, the occupational therapists and all of the rehabilitative staff involved in treating the children.

These are young children with scoliosis. Does another mother have to push a pram into RTÉ to go on "Drivetime" or "Prime Time" and pour out her heart, tell her story, bring her child to the front and make an example of him or her to beg this coalition Government of three parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party, for assistance? Let us have some humanity for people and their children and give them the treatment they deserve. The Minister of State was sent in here to read the same old story with a history lesson of what they did, when today there are more than 160 people on the list. What can the Minister of State say to the parents looking in here? Do they have to go back on Joe Duffy and other programmes next week?

I respect the Minister of State. I know he is supportive. I know he is a decent man and a decent politician. He has children. He knows what we are speaking about. We all know what we are talking about. Let us call a spade a spade. Give these families the support and timelines they need to plan to have essential treatment for their children. Above all, please go to the Department tomorrow and ask the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, whom I also respect, to shape up and meet the people and tell them the timelines for the treatment of their children. It is reasonable and it is fair. This is all I request.