Aubrey McCarthy (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being here and congratulate her on her new role. I thank Senator McDowell. I support this Bill. It is crucial legislation, which addresses the most pressing issue regarding what children are suffering. Listening to Senator Clonan and hearing what he has experienced have shocked me. I have heard that there are mild cases.I have also seen that timely intervention across the board is vital, but I hear that timely intervention is certainly not the case. With progressive scoliosis, timely treatment is vital. We are seeing this in my own area of Kildare and because I am a new Senator, people have brought it to my attention.

The Bill proposed by Senator McDowell and the rest of the Independent Senators would establish a specialised scoliosis treatment service under the HSE. Such a treatment service would make sure that there is proper oversight by the Minister for Health and that children and families will receive the treatment for which they have long been pleading.

There have been failures. I know the Covid pandemic brought about such failures, but I also believe the failures have come about through systematic mismanagement and a lack of accountability in the area. Despite the establishment of the spinal surgery management unit in 2024 and a 10% increase in spinal surgeries compared with 2023, waiting lists remain unacceptably high. Different numbers have been mentioned, with 233 people on the waiting list and the shocking figure of 15 children waiting for over a year. In addition, three people have been waiting for more than two years. Senator Keogan spoke about somebody waiting for 14 years.

As Senator McDowell highlighted, the crisis is not new. It was raised in 2017 and the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, promised that no child would have to wait more than four years. Those promises did not prove to be true, even though they were meant without malice. We need to make sure we have a scoliosis Bill that produces results on the ground so that children such as Senator Clonan's son Eoghan do not have to wait and are not looking to us as Members of the Oireachtas to rule on whether they should have treatment. I support the Bill and ask the Members of this House to do what we are meant to do, bring in legislation, support this Bill and pass it without delay.