In 2017, the then Minister for Health said on an RTÉ programme that by the end of that year, no child would be waiting for longer than four months for a scoliosis procedure. In July 2020, children with scoliosis are still waiting longer than four months. I was contacted by the parents of a wonderful and brave 11 year old named Sophie Redmond. She has scoliosis resulting in a 70% curvature of her spine, which is pressing on her lung. When will children who, like Sophie, have scoliosis get the treatment they badly need? It is an emergency and this is a time-sensitive condition. These treatments are needed as soon as possible.

I accept the gravity of the situation and the need for Sophie to have her operation carried out as quickly and as safely as possible. There is no doubt that Covid-19 has had an impact on non-Covid strands of medicine. Surgery has been very significantly impacted. That is a growing challenge for us as we resume services while the virus continues to be prevalent and while the measures that had to be taken in hospitals to protect against its spread are still in place. Doing operations safely is a challenge in this context. Having said that, time is important for scoliosis interventions. The early delivery of surgery can have a significant positive impact for patients. I will check out the specific case with the hospital concerned and look into the broader question of scoliosis services. I know the Minister is aware of the situation.