Mary Lou McDonald
Dublin Central · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Now he watches as Paudie, his other son, aged 16, deteriorates with the same disease. He says Paudie does not have weeks to wait. He says, "I can't lose him [too]. He is all I have left." That is what is at stake here. This is urgent. Caithfidh an Rialtas an rud ceart a dhéanamh dóibh siúd a bhfuil Friedreich's ataxia orthu.”
“We know that both scramblers and e-scooters are being used by gangs to distribute drugs, to openly and actively intimidate, and to evade the gardaí and, yet, we heard the Garda Commissioner say that there would be no chance of pursuit training until next year because of the EU Presidency. I found that really shocking.”
“Their hopes were very high that the HSE drugs committee would finally approve Skyclarys, but those hopes were to be dashed. The committee decided against approving the drug. Instead, it referred it to a rare disease review group. In other words, one committee passing the buck to another committee.”
“This cruel condition moves relentlessly, ravaging their bodies and their lives, yet the system stands still, putting up obstacle after obstacle, forcing them to wait and wait as time slips by. This drug was approved by the EU Commission back in 2024. Two years on, it is available in France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Czechia.”
“So we are clear, it is not that all of this is frustrating for those living with Friedreich's ataxia; it is actually terrifying for them. I met Emily three or four weeks ago and I was speaking to her again on Tuesday. Even in that short time span, she told me that her swallow and speech had disimproved. We are on the clock here.”
“There is someone the Tánaiste knows very well in the Public Gallery. She is the unstoppable and heroic Cara Darmody. Cara has just completed her third 50-hour protest outside the Dáil, calling for real action for children and young people waiting for an assessment of need.”
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“The independent audit of hip surgeries performed at Children's Health Ireland, CHI, and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh is damning. It makes for devastating reading for parents and families who are caught up in this scandal. One of those parents, a heartbroken mother, contacted us. Her daughter was just four when she had surgery on both hips. This is mother is convinced, based on her reading of the audit report, that her daughter did not require either operation. Here is what she wrote: I am gutted to have let my daughter down. I'm the person who is supposed to protect her. I'll have to live with that.”
“The Irish Central Bank should not and cannot be facilitating that genocide through the sale of Israeli war bonds. I challenge every Member of this House and every person of conscience to stand with the Palestinians and against genocide, and to back our legislation when it comes to the House next week.”
“If the Government is serious and sincere, it will back our Bill and stand with Palestine. If you are really serious, Tánaiste, about recognising and respecting the convictions of the people of Ireland, if you are serious about doing everything as you say within your reach, and if you are serious about ending the clear barbarism that we watch every day in Gaza and indeed in the West Bank, you will back our Bill and of course you will also pass the occupied territories Bill. Ireland's history speaks powerfully to us and it demands that we speak out. It demands that we act in defence of Palestine and in defence of refugee populations that have been brutalised not for weeks or for months but for decades. That barbarity has now escalated to genocide itself.”
“Yet when I raised this with the Taoiseach yesterday, his response was to call our legislation "repulsive". That is the word he used.”
“Ireland also needs to act because words are not enough - neither weasel words nor carefully crafted platitudes - as a refugee population is being decimated. Calls for restraint will not cut it either. Action is needed. Sanctions are needed. Today Deputy Pearse Doherty and I have brought forward legislation to stop Ireland's involvement in the sale of Israeli war bonds, which are used to fund the genocide in Palestine. It is going to be debated in the Dáil next week. It is utterly unacceptable - an obscenity in fact - that the Irish Central Bank oversees the sale of Israeli war bonds right across the EU. It is completely at odds with Ireland's position in respect of humanitarian standards and international law; a position that is against occupation, terror and genocide.”
“They are complicit in every single thing that is happening. The EU now reviews its trade agreement with Israel. Britain has suspended trade talks with it. This is very little and very late. We need much more. We need action. We need sanctions. We need an end to the arming and funding of Israel's war machine. Today my colleague and First Minister in the North Michelle O’Neill has written to the British Prime Minister demanding that Britain end the export of arms to Israel. The British Government has a legal and a moral obligation to stop arming Israel when there is a clear and obvious risk that these weapons are being used to slaughter Palestinian children. That obligation applies to the United States of America and to European powers that are funding and generating a genocide. Stop it. Stop that now.”
“The bombardment and killing is continuing as the air and ground offensives intensify. The mass displacement of the people of Gaza is continuing. All of this is carried out in full sight of the world and in full sight of international leaders. They see the carnage, the collective punishment, the starvation and the mass displacement. All are breaches of international law. They have long known that Israel, an occupying power, imposes an apartheid regime. All of this suffering Israel is responsible for and Israel must be held to account. Its actions are not simply wrong, but are criminal. They are genocidal. Israel continues to act with impunity because, very simply, it can. Major Western powers are not alone turning a blind eye; they are protecting Israel from any meaningful sanctions and they are continuing to fund and sell arms to Israel.”
“Go raibh maith agat as sin. Cuirim fáilte freisin roimh H. E. Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid. You are very welcome, madam ambassador, and we are honoured to have you here. Today we stand with the Gazan people, who face annihilation. Entire families have been wiped out. Millions have been displaced from their homes and schools and hospitals have been obliterated. They are now starving and blockaded on all sides. Some 14,000 children are on the brink of starvation. There have been 11 weeks of a blockade of food, a blockade of water and a blockade on medicines. More than 500 have been killed in a matter of days. Humanitarian aid has been used as a weapon of war and there has been collective punishment again against the Palestinian people. The siege is continuing. Not an ounce of food or a drop of water has been distributed.”
“Today marks day two of the protest by Cara Darmody, aged 14. She is again outside the gates of Leinster House and, for as long as the Taoiseach and his Government are breaking the law and leaving children behind, Cara will protest, as will many others. She is not going away. The Taoiseach met her this morning. From what I hear, he made no commitments and no progress with Cara. The Government is not opposing the combined Opposition motion before the House. That was obviously just a ruse not to look bad on its part. It has been entirely unclear as to what action it will take on foot of the motion. The Taoiseach talked a lot about the law and a response to the High Court, three years later. The Disability Act 2005 affords significant protection-----”
“I want him to answer straight. What did the Minister mean in respect of the one modest protection the Government has afforded to renters, in the rent pressure zones? What are his intentions? Is the Government siding again with the vulture funds or will it finally side with tenants?”
“In summary, I want the Taoiseach to stop screwing it up. That is actually what I want. I want the Taoiseach to take account of the fact and accept the fact that he is presiding over an emergency and a catastrophe. There are record levels of homelessness. This society is now so numbed to your failure that record numbers - there are almost 5,000 children in homeless accommodation - do not really cause a ripple in the public conversation. The Government has normalised its catastrophic failure. An entire generation is locked out of any prospect of homeownership and they cannot afford the rent. They are voting with their feet. They are in Perth and Toronto. They are not in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, where we need them and their skill, energy and vitality. I asked the Taoiseach to explain comments from his housing Minister.”
“Are they caving into the demands of vulture funds for even higher rents or are they going to give renters a break and stop these rip-off rent increases once and for all?”
“Tá an cíos ag méadú níos tapúla anois ná ag am ar bith le 20 bliain anuas. I lár ghéarchéim costas maireachtála ina bhfuil an praghas ar gach uile rud ag dul in airde, conas atá oibrithe in ainm is a bheith in ann €2,000 a íoc in aghaidh na míosa mar chíos? Tá a fhios ag daoine go bhfuil drochmhargadh á dhéanamh leo agus tá siad braon de. In the same interview, the Minister, Deputy Browne, promised to protect renters. That is gaslighting renters - he is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He tells landlords they can jack up rents while at the same time, he promises tenants protection. Of course, that is not possible. He cannot do both of those things at the same time. Can the Taoiseach and his Government come clean?”
“In an interview with the Irish Examiner , the Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, said that rent caps were "significantly inhibiting the delivery of apartments in Dublin.". To decode that, what he actually means is that vulture funds are telling him in order to invest, they want to charge even higher rents. The Minister said there has to be change. He said there is no question about that. What does he mean? Does he mean the rent pressure zone cap is to be raised? Does he mean that landlords can reset the rent between tenancies to new market rents? Does he mean that new rental properties will be completely exempt from control? Renters need to know what the Taoiseach's Minister means because any of these measures will mean even higher rip-off rents for tenants.”
“It has never been harder to rent a home, buy a home or get a council home. We are in the middle of a housing emergency. It is a crisis that requires emergency measures but there is absolutely no sense of urgency from the Government. I have never seen a Government move so slowly or achieve so very little. In six months, the Government's most significant piece of legislation was to increase the wages for the biggest ministerial team ever seen. We have seen week after week of statements and committees limping into place. It is a real do-nothing Government. Of course, it blames everyone else for its failures. It is the Opposition's fault. It is the local councils' fault. Now, the Taoiseach's housing Minister is blaming the one modest protection that renters have; the rent pressure zones.”
“Renting has never been more expensive or less secure than under the Taoiseach's Government. This week, daft.ie published its figures for the rental market for the start of this year. Rents are now climbing faster than at any point in the previous 20 years. Average new rents are now over €2,000 a month. That is an eye-watering €24,000 a year on rent. In Dublin city, new rents now average €2,500 a month. That comes to a €30,000 yearly rent bill. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, how can working people afford these rents? How an earth could anyone save for a home while paying such extortionate rent? People are getting ripped off and they are sick of it. It is no surprise that young people are going to Canada and Australia. What chance do they really have to make their life here?”
“You continue to act like this is a normal problem that can be solved in time. It won’t be. Permanent damage is being caused to children every day because of your failure to act with urgency and emergency. Those are the words of Cara Darmody. I ask the Minister to heed them, please. It is now time to act with urgency and emergency. Comply with the law and ensure that no child is left behind.”
“I think it's fair to say that you're well aware of who I am and the reasons why I felt absolutely compelled to start an unprecedented protest at the gates of Leinster House today. Put simply, the Government through the HSE is systematically breaking the law as there are now over 15,000 children waiting on an Assessment of Needs. But here’s the shocker - the HSE have admitted through their own projections that the figure will reach almost 25,000 by Christmas. I have met most of the Cabinet at this point, including a very kind meeting with Minister Norma Foley last Friday. On a personal level, I have enjoyed her company on every single occasion and never once have I uttered an offensive comment towards any Government politician. [Then she says the following to the Government] But it is your ideology that is wrong here.”
“This means it is even more difficult for families to access services and no therapy is being offered. The pressure continues when it comes to getting a suitable school place. With such a lack of SNAs in classrooms, I am dealing with it right across my constituency, in St. Catherine's in Cabra, Broombridge Educate Together National School and many others. What we need is a step change from the Government. In my remaining time I would like to use the words of Cara Darmody who joins us again in the Visitors Gallery. You have some stamina, Cara, and we are delighted you are here with us again along with your father Mark. Here are some words Cara sent to me this week. She sets this out really well and hits the nail on the head. Here is what she had to say: My name is Cara Darmody.”
“Crystal said her son has been waiting for two years for therapy. He still has not received any. Instead she, like many mothers, is sent to courses and workshops so that she can act as his OT and speech and language therapist. Another mother spoke of her experience of having to take the HSE to court to force it to do an assessment of need and said the aftermath was actually worse with zero services provided. She said that the whole system is broken. The solution for these families is not to remove or undermine their rights to assessment of need but it is to provide the services they so desperately need in a timely fashion. Early intervention matters. This is a community already under pressure and like in many other parts of the State, the north inner city CDNT is down five staff with capacity stretched beyond limit.”
“One family summed it this way when they said: As a parent through our journey with my son, I can accept his diagnosis and what is required of me to care for him and I will gladly do that as his mother but experiences I have had with the HSE and services they fund to provide services has been hell even when they are trying to do what's right they can't deliver. No one understands how bad things are unless you have been through the disability services. Over the course of recent days other parents locally talked about their experiences. Hayleigh said her son Parker was on the waiting list for an assessment of need for five years and because Parker waited for five years for his assessment he never received the early intervention that is key for children with autism and this has impacted directly on his development.”
“I would recommend that the Minister and the Taoiseach meet these parents and listen very carefully to what they have to say. They told us that parents, carers and family members of children with autism and-or additional needs are being failed by inadequate systems of support and that public services are often insufficient, unavailable and difficult to access forcing many families, especially those on low incomes, into an impossible position. While some families are able to turn to private services, this is not a viable option for many, reinforcing systemic inequality and denying children and their families the right to equitable care and support.”
“It has attempted to suggest this has been to streamline the delivery of services, to use capacity better and to ensure the children get the services they are entitled to but the sad reality is that if the Government removes or waters down the right to an assessment of need within six months there will be serious and enduring consequences for vulnerable children. Removing the onus on the State to deliver comprehensive assessment of need within a six month statutory timeline will only benefit a State and a Government that is failing in its duties. It will reward State failure. Last week, the Families of Autistic and Additional Needs Children Together, a group from the north east inner city of Dublin, came to the Dáil to brief TDs on their experience and on their peer-led research.”
“Tonight, the combined Opposition has come together to call out the Government's failure to comply with the law and ensure children with disabilities get an assessment of need within six months. This is not an arbitrary issue or timeframe. It is very widely understood that the earlier children are assessed and given the supports and therapies they need the better the chance there is for them to thrive and flourish. The Government will not oppose our motion this evening yet its response to this issue over the course of today has been nothing short of shocking. Instead of setting out how it intends to comply with the law, the Government has now set out a clear intention to change the law.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — children are legally entitled to an assessment of their health and education needs under the Disability Act 2005, and that the assessment must take place within six months; and — the law is being broken with respect to the 15,296 children whose Assessment of Need is overdue, and with just 4,162 assessments conducted last year the number of children being failed is rising; and calls on the Government to: — comply with its legal obligations to provide assessments within six months; — take emergency action and make funding available to "Cara's Fund", to clear the backlog and provide these children with the assessments to which they are legally entitled to; — set a specific target date by which the Government aims to comply with the legal entitlement to an Assessment of Need under the Disability Act 2005; — deliver a longer term sustainable solution, including an urgent workforce plan to recruit, train and retain enough staff to finally end this breach of children's rights once and for all; — fund special needs services, including speech and language, physio, and occupational and behavioural therapies; and — provide appropriate school places for children with special needs.”
“Children are on the brink of starvation in Gaza as a consequence of Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid. It is blocking food, water and medicines. More than 500 people have been slaughtered in Gaza in recent days alone. What people might not know is that the Irish Government has made Ireland complicit in funding this genocide. The Irish Central Bank oversees the sale of Israeli war bonds. These are directly used to fund the genocide in Palestine. Tomorrow, Deputy Pearse Doherty and I will introduce legislation which will end the sale of Israeli war bonds through the Irish Central Bank. We ask the Taoiseach to work with us. Israel acts with impunity because it can and because the world refuses to act. Ireland cannot be complicit any longer in genocide. Ireland cannot facilitate the funding of this genocide.”
“-----to ensure that at the end of Thursday's business we have statements on the Government's deal with Michael Lowry and that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste make statements and take questions and give full-----”
“That is what the ruling means. It does not mean change the law. The Taoiseach's message to us today is that rather than working to be in compliance with the law to ensure that children get the assessments of need to which they are legally entitled within the statutory framework of six months, his idea is to change the law and remove that provision. There is a common view, certainly across those who work within the disability sector and with families, that the problem is not the law. It is actually a very good law. It is a good idea that a rigorous and thorough assessment of need is given to every child and person who needs it within a six-month timeframe. The issue here is Government inaction and Government failure.”
“Can the Taoiseach tell parents clearly what the target date is by which the Government will comply with the law? Can he set out the emergency action he will take and the resources he will make available to Cara's fund to clear the current backlog? What about workforce planning, because in some parts of the State, 60% of positions within the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are currently vacant?”
“Why is it that people with disabilities are so badly failed? There is no indication from the Government that it is serious at all about complying with the law. Today, the combined Opposition comes together and demands that the Government comply with the law. Our motion tonight lays out the clear, concrete steps needed if the Government is serious about tackling assessment of needs waiting lists and complying with its legal and moral obligations. Tá an dlí briste ag an Taoiseach arís is arís eile. Tá teip shuntasach á déanamh ar leanaí faoi mhíchumas atá fágtha idir dhá cheann na meá ag fanacht ar mheasúnaithe ar riachtanais ar a bhfuil siad i dteideal. Inniu, tháinig an Freasúra go léir le chéile chun iarraidh ar an Rialtas cloí leis an ndlí.”
“Another parent's daughter got a letter saying it will be between 24 and 33 months before she will be seen, and this child is already on the list for over a year. I work with parents every day in my own constituency. In the north-inner city, the waiting lists would make your eyes water and it is even worse in Cabra. Even when you get your assessment of needs, the fight continues for therapies, school places and very basic services. The Government has broken the law over and over again. There is a legal requirement on the Government to provide an assessment of needs within six months and it has broken this over and over again. Children are being failed dramatically, left in limbo while they wait for the supports to which they are entitled. How is it that children are so badly failed?”
“Children with disabilities are legally entitled to an assessment of needs within six months and yet 15,296 children are left well beyond this timeframe, some for years, delaying their access to vital therapies and appropriate school places. The HSE anticipates that this dire situation will get worse. By the end of 2025, there could be almost 25,000 on waiting lists for assessment of needs. I have been contacted by so many parents over the last week and they all have the same story. One mother got a letter on Friday to acknowledge her application for assessment of needs and was informed that the waiting list is in excess of three years. Another told me her son is on the list for an appointment which has been cancelled over and over again.”
“I extend a céad míle fáilte to the students of Coláiste Eoghain from Buncrana and to the women from the Breaffy walking group in Castlebar. They are all very welcome. At 10 o'clock this morning, Cara Darmody, a 14-year-old disability campaigner, began a 50-hour protest outside the Dáil and she joins us in the Gallery as well. I extend a very warm welcome to her and to her father, Mark. Cara is an exceptional and amazing young woman who has stepped forward to fight not just for her brothers Neil and John but for all of the children so badly failed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. At the heart of Cara's protest is one simple demand, namely, that the Government comply with the law and ensure no child is left behind.”
“I want to return to the issue of the hip dysplasia surgery raised by my colleague, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan. The Taoiseach has misled the Dáil. To set the record straight, the letters were sent to parents on foot of an early recommendation of the audit, and it says so in the letter. This was recommendation No. 4.2.1, to be precise. The recommendation refers specifically to the recall of children. We know with regard to cases between 2021 and 2023 that 561 recalls are in question. The very same letter, word for word, not a general letter or a different context but the same context, the same audit and the same letter, has been sent to families of children who had surgery as far back as 2010. This letter also refers to an early recommendation from the audit. It is the same letter and the same situation.”
“These are working families who are struggling and yet the Taoiseach is telling them "No". They cannot wait until October. We need cost-of-living supports and we need them with urgency.”
“Tá sé soiléir go bhfuil daoine agus teaghlaigh faoi bhrú. Is í sin an fhírinne. Sustainability matters for families. Notwithstanding everything the Taoiseach lauded in his self-congratulatory soliloquy, Amy's groceries still cost €260 per week, her electricity bill was €460 and a bottle of shampoo that used to cost €4.50 is now €9. Yes, inflation has tamed but the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the Taoiseach cannot accept people's experiences as bona fide. They include renters, people struggling to pay mortgages and childcare costs and people struggling to put bread on the table, pay the electricity bill and keep the show on the road. There is ample evidence that this experience is widespread. It is not simply those on social welfare payments.”
“This position was repeated by one of his Fianna Fáil colleagues on the radio yesterday. Hardworking people are being fleeced left, right and centre. Many have very little left at the end of the week, are forced to decide which bill to pay and which one to leave and are forced to cut back on the basics and the Government proclaims that it will not act and will not help. It is not lost on anyone that at the same time the Taoiseach rules out help for ordinary people, he had no problem delivering big pay hikes for his raft of junior and super junior Ministers. Tá lucht oibre na tíre lomtha ag praghsanna atá ag dul in airde agus billí atá ag imeacht as smacht. Níl sé sásúil go bhfuil an Rialtas ag suí siar ag déanamh faic. The Taoiseach cannot leave working people and families high and dry. He must act.”
“He said there was no crash, no claim and no change and that it was just a random slap in the face because the company felt like it. Fiona said "nine bloody euro for a bottle of shampoo that used to cost €4.50. These price hikes are an absolute joke". Susan said "it's getting impossible to keep the head above water. Everything except our income is going up and up and it's killing us". This is just a snapshot of the rip-off people are experiencing day in and day out. By contrast, here is what the Taoiseach had to say in Brussels on Thursday. He said that he, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform had all ruled out a specific cost-of-living package in advance of the budget.”
“On average, people fork out €2,000 per month. That is the nightmare the Government has created for renters. Motor insurance has gone up by a whopping 9% in just 12 months. That is more than double the EU average. We have the highest electricity prices anywhere in Europe - €350 per year dearer than other countries. People are working very hard. They are working all hours to make a better life for themselves and their families but they are being hit from all sides. They are contacting us at their wits' end. Here are some of the things they have told us. Amy said that the price gouging is unreal. She told us that the weekly shop for her family of five - two adults and three children - is now €260 and their most recent electricity bill was €460. David told us that his car insurance just shot up by €200.”
“The cost of living continues to bite hard on working people. Ordinary households are finding it very difficult to keep up with the never-ending barrage of rip-off bills, yet the Government seems oblivious to the pressure people are under. It seems content to sit on its hands and do nothing while workers and families barely get by. On the watch of this Government, households are hit by soaring costs across the board. The price of the weekly shop is through the roof. In the past year, the price of a pound of butter has increased by €1, the price of two litres of milk is up by 27 cent, the price of cheddar cheese is up by 79 cent and since 2022, the price of a bag of potatoes has doubled. The price of toothpaste and other basic toiletries is sky-high. Rent goes up and up. In the past year, rents went up by at least €100 per month.”
“For the record, the imperative for a full public inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown is entirely separate to the need for, or any prospect of, the overturning of the wider legacy legislation. It bears no relationship to it. The Taoiseach ought to know that the Brown case is unique in many features. It is about a failed inquest process. A very simple remedy can be afforded to create the public inquiry. I am concerned and anxious that the Government here does not confuse a wider legitimate issue around legacy and the need for a proper legislative framework. That is one thing and an important thing, but the imperative for the inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown is entirely distinct and legally separate from that. I want to make that point with some force to the Taoiseach so it is recorded in the Official Report of the Dáil.”
“I am not talking about a nebulous form of investigation but a fully constituted public inquiry that is compliant with Article 2, as directed by the High Court and Court of Appeal.”
“I ask about Sean Brown, chairman of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Gaelic Athletic Club in County Derry, who was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No one has ever been convicted of his killing. The British Government has failed to establish an independent public inquiry into Mr. Brown's 1997 murder despite being directed to do so by the High Court and despite a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Belfast last month that declared this refusal to be unlawful and a breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Tánaiste met Bridie Brown yesterday evening. Will the Irish Government make a clear and unequivocal call for a public inquiry as directed by the High Court and Court of Appeal? I am asking for that to be enunciated very clearly.”
“He said that he would engage with the Taoiseach on a Government timeline to make this happen. Has that engagement happened and what is the timeline?”
“Last week, the Northern Assembly voted in favour of a motion to extend presidential voting rights to Irish citizens in the North. This sends a powerful democratic message that Irish citizens in the North must be allowed to vote for their first citizen, for their Uachtarán. For more than a decade, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have promised to make this happen. It has been contained in programmes for Government since 2016, but these commitments have not been honoured. The Assembly vote is a watershed moment and I believe the Government now needs to act with urgency. November's election for President must be the last presidential election that excludes Irish citizens north of the Border from voting. On Thursday, the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, agreed that these rights should be extended.”
“Can we start the process of clarity today? Will the Taoiseach simply tell me how many letters have been issued and how many children will be recalled? The Taoiseach ought to know that at this stage.”
“The anxiety of these parents could not be overstated. As the Taoiseach has correctly noted, the initial sample between 2021 and 2023 involves children between the ages of one and seven. These are very young children, and the idea of any small child being operated on unnecessarily is extremely traumatising for their parents. Their anxiety has been added to by the Government's absolute lack of clarity and the Taoiseach's refusal even today to answer basic questions of information. How many letters have been issued and how many children are involved? The parents concerned want to know this. The system wrote to these parents. It raised this issue with these parents with regard to the children in these families. Having raised the issue, however, no clarity is given. No reassurance has been given. This is the truth.”
“Will he tell parents sick with worry who may be listening today what precisely all of this means for their children? Tar éis don Rialtas cúpla mí a chaitheamh ag diúltú freagraí a thabhairt, tá deimhniú faighte againn anois go dtéann an scannal maidir le hobráidí ar chromáin chomh fada siar le 15 bliain ó shin. Tá an fhírinne iomlán tuillte ag tuismitheoirí. The parents of children caught up in this hip surgery scandal deserve answers and the full truth. Now we know this scandal goes back 15 years at least. Will the Taoiseach finally tell us how many letters have been issued to parents and how many children have been recalled? Does this go back even further than 2010? How many children are involved?”
“In fact, it has been ducking, diving and dodging. The Minister has now accepted there are cases going back to 2010, which means the investigation is not limited in the way the Government had previously claimed. In fact, it stretches back 15 years at least. If the 2021 to 2023 audit recalled 561 children - this we know - how many children in total are subject to recall in the full look-back process? Is it hundreds? Is it thousands? What is the number? The Minister for Health also says an action plan is being prepared. She states that the plan will include the identification of groups of patients not included in the audit sample but who may be affected by any findings of the audit. Will the Taoiseach explain exactly what that means?”
“Each time the Taoiseach has been questioned on this scandal, he and Simon Harris have responded with non-answers. They have refused to give clarity and so parents have been stonewalled by CHI and the Government. After weeks of trying to contain the truth, we have, finally, in black and white from the Minister for Health confirmation that letters have been issued to parents of children who had operations 15 years ago. The Minister's response to Teachta David Cullinane states that letters were issued "in recent weeks to families and patients who had hip dysplasia procedures since 2010". She said this was “to provide reassurance and information about the audit, and to ensure all potential cases were included”. The truth is that the Government has given neither information nor reassurance to parents.”