Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am just welcoming Ms Bradley to the House out of politeness. I have not said anything else. I had the great pleasure to meet her with the Taoiseach on the way in this morning. She will be a fantastic appointment, when that takes place.

Yesterday, I spoke about the waiting lists for scoliosis for spinal surgery in the Children's Hospital Ireland group. Despite the commitments given by the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, that the waiting lists would be reduced, we still have hundreds of children on that waiting list suffering and deteriorating with life-altering and life-limiting consequences. Since I spoke yesterday, I have had a volume of correspondence from parents of children on that list. It is not just spinal surgery. One mum contacted me yesterday to tell me of a two-year-old who has had to have a limb amputated because the surgery for limb reconstruction was not available. What kind of a Republic is this where a two-year-old has an unnecessary amputation? We should be ashamed of ourselves. I have called this out for quite some time. This is unacceptable.

There is another situation where children are not getting botox injections to the bladder, which prevents urine going back up into the kidneys. These are children with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and other conditions who will be forced to go on dialysis and who, at some point, may experience kidney failure. This is unheard of in other European Union countries. What is going on? It is an absolute travesty. This is an international scandal. Before we go into recess, I prevail on the Leader to ask the Minister what is going on. We cannot continue to fail disabled children in this way.