I agree that the Law Reform Commission report was very important and allows for the foundations for legislation to be put in place as quickly as possible. I raised this with the incoming chair of the health committee, Deputy Rice, as an issue on which the committee should focus. I am sure we would be prepared to work with the Minister in having the Law Reform Commission appear before the committee and talk through its proposals. Ultimately, however, I am sure that if it were before the committee, it would say it ha…

I agree

Hear, hear.

It seems to the people of Waterford that, when it comes to the application for funding for the runway extension at Waterford Airport, which is not just an issue for Waterford but for all those who live in the south east, it is a case of "Send the fool further". That is now said to me regularly. In 2019, I attended a meeting with the then Minister for transport, Shane Ross, one of the Minister of State's former colleagues. He gave a commitment to fund the runway extension. At the time, that was a commitment of €5 mi…

I do not blame the Minister of State who is taking the debate but, as I expected at the start of my original contribution, the written statement from the Minister of State again talks about a review, consideration and next steps. It states that it will be considered and there will be further engagement and an appraisal process. We need the money. It is that simple. It is "Yes" or "No". Will the Government fund the runway extension or not? This was signed off in principle, as the Minister of State knows, back in 201…

I commend Teachta Kerrane on bringing forward this motion. I concur with the points she made on the last general election and the spoofing that was done by Fine Gael especially but also by Fianna Fáil on many issues but most particularly in the area of childcare. The Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, in particular spoke a lot about a public model of childcare. That seems to have gone by the wayside. We called that out during the election campaign for the spoofing that it was, and rightly so. That was followed very qui…

I welcome that we have an opportunity to debate the commission’s findings. I have spoken to a number of people who care for Grace and an organisation that has cared for her in recent years. She is in my mind today. From the conversations I have had, Grace is now getting very good care. She is a lovely, beautiful person and she is in all of our thoughts today. The Minister is correct. I sat on the Committee of Public Accounts, which examined this, as did other Members of this House. It was one of the most appalling …

Hear, hear.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I am delighted too to be introducing this Bill with my colleagues in honour of one of Ireland's unsung patriots. The purpose of the Bill is to name the new children's hospital "Ospidéal Náisiúnta Kathleen Lynn do Leanaí". Dr. Lynn was a phenomenal person and a progressive patriot who dedicated her life to the betterment of the lives of Irish people, in particular women and children. She was a founder of Ireland's first children's hospital, Teach Naomh Ultáin, which was estab…

There are many exceptional individuals working tirelessly in CHI to deliver the best care that they can for our children. I have met many of them; I meet them all the time. I applaud and salute them because I know that they are as frustrated as Sinn Féin and I are with the failings of CHI as an organisation. Unfortunately, there are very serious problems at CHI, which make it impossible for Sinn Féin to have confidence in that organisation's ability to take charge of the new children's hospital. The story of CHI ha…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes with alarm the results of a clinical audit conducted on children's hip surgeries performed on children under the care of Children's Health Ireland (CHI), which: — audited 147 cases across 14 surgeons across 3 institutions for the period 2021 to 2023, namely CHI at Temple Street, CHI at Crumlin, and National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh; and — found that, of those audited, 60 per cent of the surgeries at Temple Street were not indicated, 79 per cent at Cappagh were not indicated, and…

We have now been here debating Children's Health Ireland, children's healthcare and, in particular, the children's hospitals for five hours. That says it all about the failures we have seen in children's healthcare at those hospitals. The Minister is right when she says that the report into hip dysplasia has not been published. She is waiting for the full report to be published, but a draft report was leaked. It is out there and has been for some time. That draft report raised serious concerns. As bad as it is, it …

Yesterday we had the publication of the HIQA report into CHI, which was discussed in the House at length. The report was damning and outlined a litany of management, clinical, ethical, and informed consent failures. This was not only about use of unauthorised non-medical grade springs, which, of course, was the substance of the report, as the systemic failures go wider than this. Teachta Ó Murchú received an email from a family in County Louth about the hip dysplasia issue. Their child was three or four years old a…

I must also put it to the Taoiseach that I accept the chair of CHI stood down yesterday. I genuinely believe the board needs to be stood down, given the gravity of the issues which have been raised.

The Taoiseach is missing the bigger picture.

Hear, hear.

The Taoiseach said that with a straight face. Fair play to him.

The Taoiseach is the one making wild claims.

And Michael Lowry.

We certainly do.