Before I begin, I will welcome the ruling of the High Court in Belfast this morning that the British Government's legacy Act is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. It would be opportune to get an update on the interstate case early next week.
In 2017, thug an Rialtas agus an tAire, an Teachta Harris, gealltanas nach mbeidh aon leanbh ag fanacht ar obráid scoliosis ar feadh níos mó ná ceithre mhí ach briseadh an gealltanas sin do na páistí, do dhaoine i mo Dháilcheantar féin cosúil le Kylie Ann Stewart agus do go leor daoine eile. Sa lá atá inniu ann, tá go leor páistí ag fanacht ní hamháin ceithre mhí, ach blianta faoi choinne na hobráide seo.
Last week, children and families came to the Dáil. Like Kylie Ann Stewart and her parents, they travelled from across the State to have their voices heard. Kylie Ann, who comes from Kilmacrennan in my own county of Donegal, is ten years old. She is a brave and beautiful young girl. I had the opportunity to speak to her outside the gates of Leinster House. She has been failed by the Government, by the State and by the commitment the Minister gave her and her family seven years ago. Kylie Ann has been waiting five years for critical scoliosis surgery. She and her parents were first told she needed scoliosis surgery when she was four years old, yet she continues to wait. Her condition is acute, her pain is great and her parents are heartbroken. Right now, Kylie Ann's back is curved at 138°. Her parents have been told that if her spine curves by a further 10°, it will not be possible to operate on her. Kylie Ann has had to be especially careful with the skin that covers the bones that protrude from her back. There is a risk that the skin could break down, increasing the chance of infection.
I say all of this because, while we will discuss numbers and so on later, this is the reality Kylie Ann and her parents have to manage every single day, and many other Kylie Anns out there. We in this House cannot contemplate what it must be like to endure that as a ten-year-old child or as a parent who has to watch as months and years pass without any sign of an operation while knowing that the clock is ticking and that, if the curvature gets worse, the operation will not happen at all.
This is life for the 288 children across our State who languish on waiting lists for critical scoliosis surgery. Last week, I had the opportunity to chat to many of them. They came here to the Dáil to make their voices heard and to say that enough is enough. Seven years ago, as Minister for Health, Deputy Harris gave a commitment that, by the end of 2017, no child would be waiting longer than four months for scoliosis-related surgery; a promise he made, a promise he broke. That promise made to Kylie Ann and a great many other children has been broken year after year. There are more than 70 children who have been waiting longer than four months for this surgery. Like Kylie Ann, many have been waiting for years. Kylie Ann has been waiting for this operation for more than half her life. Two years ago, the Minister's successor, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, made the same commitment. He announced €19 million in funding for scoliosis-related surgery. Last week, he told the Dáil that he does not know if all of this money was even spent for this purpose. At the same time, the Government is asking parents and advocates to trust the system. After years of broken promises, how could these children and their parents have any faith in the system?
There are things that can be done for the 288 children who are waiting for scoliosis-related surgery. Previously, those who were well enough to travel could access treatment abroad through a specific tailored programme. That programme was ended before the pandemic in 2019 and waiting lists started to rise again. It beggars belief that the treatment abroad scheme was stopped when children were waiting more than four months for their operations. We need to build domestic capacity for those who cannot travel. The Government needs to identify a surgeon who can perform this work, even if it means an international search or a bespoke arrangement. The Government must establish a truly independent task force to get to grips with this scandal. What is the Government's plan for Kylie Ann? Has the Government or Children's Health Ireland sourced a surgeon at home or abroad who can do this work? Will the Government establish an independent task force with the remit set out last week, which was to engage with and act on the concerns of parents and advocates to improve the health service for all of these children? In his response, will the Minister also tell us why anyone, including these children and their families, should trust anything he says given that he made that promise seven years ago and broke it?
