I want to ask the Taoiseach about a rather sensitive and emotional issue regarding a young boy named Adam Terry. He is from Whitechurch in Cork. Adam and his mum, Christine, had to go on Claire Byrne's radio show with the reporter Brian O'Connell again yesterday to tell the horrific story of the pain Adam is experiencing as he waits for the complex scoliosis surgery which he was promised for the past four years. I am also aware of a ten-year-old boy named Senan. He and Adam share the same interests - trampolining, drama and gaming. I, along with thousands of others, found it very difficult and emotional to listen to the report of Adam and Christine yesterday. I took it upon myself to speak to Christine yesterday evening for over half an hour. Her story was horrific.

Adam's story is far more important and indicative of where we are going as a country than any budget announced yesterday. Why? Our priorities have changed. I am sure the majority of people in this country would give up any modest tax change if Adam and the 172 other children waiting for scoliosis procedures could have them. That is my belief. Adam suffers from Marfan syndrome. He has spina bifida, osteogenesis imperfecta, OI, or brittle bone disease and a heart condition. He was identified with spinal issues when he was 18 months old. He has had 21 procedures in his ten years with us. Some of them did not go well and Adam had to go through an awful lot. He is a full-time wheelchair user. Four years ago his surgery would have been complex, but now it is more complex. It may go to the point where he will never be able to live without pain - imagine that - because of the delay.

Now the curve of his spine is so bad that some of his internal bones are rubbing against each other and he has to try to crack his back to get pain relief. You can see the curve on the side of his body. It is upsetting his organs and potentially causing other medical issues. His stomach is squashed and he cannot eat properly. His weight is down to 18 kg, and remember, he is ten. Adam and Christine were told by Crumlin hospital in December 2020 that the surgery would be done in the spring. That was once again put off to never-never land. In February, the date was put off to another six or nine months. That has not happened and last month Christine had a very difficult conversation with the clinicians in Crumlin. They are considering Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. As the Taoiseach knows, that should not happen in our country. He should not have to go there because the aftercare and complications of aftercare there would not be good enough. Adam describes his pain as "almost paralysing". This is very hard to take. He said: "Nobody is coming to find me in the lost and found." He has suffered enough.

The question for the Taoiseach is not from me, but from Adam. I spoke to him and his mother at 10.30 this morning. He asked me to put this question to the Taoiseach on the floor of the Dáil. They are his words, not mine:

Dear Taoiseach, I am from Cork, like you. You know my story well by now. Will you please ensure I get the treatment and aftercare I so desperately need so I can get back to school and play with my friends, who I miss so much? I really, really need your help. Thanks. Adam.

I thank the Deputy raising the issue of Adam Terry. Quite frankly, I do not think this is good enough. I do not think any child should have to wait so long to get vital surgery of this type. It is complex surgery, but that is no excuse. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children should not be the answer, although sometimes it is necessary for children to go there. In my view, this reflects a systemic failure. I have spoken to the Minister for Health and my office has been in touch with the HSE. I will not give any false dawns today. I just want to see the surgery happen. It needs to happen, and it needs to happen in a very timely manner. It is our responsibility as the Government to make sure that other children, and the Deputy mentioned Senan, get access to surgery in a timely manner, not just for scoliosis but also other conditions. I am committed, as Taoiseach, not just to putting pressure on the system but also to ascertain why these situations continue to occur.

We all are familiar with stories about scoliosis over the past six or seven years. Additional resources have been provided and so forth. I have a couple of pages with me outlining what has been done, but I will not go through that with the Deputy. I want to see Adam go back to school and see him mix with his friends. We will do whatever we have to do. The consultants want to help as well in this situation. That is what I am saying to the Deputy. It reflects systemically. It is not a question of resources as the resources are in place. We must ensure elective surgery is ring-fenced from anything that occurs on the trauma side in terms of both theatre capacity and consultant capacity, so that it is not the case that the person or child gets a date, arrives for the operation, and the surgery is postponed because something else has happened.

I do not disagree with the Deputy. I hear Adam's question, through him, loud and clear. I spoke this morning to the parents and I will keep on this case, even though legislation dating from 2013, in some ways and for some reason, tells Ministers they can advocate for but they cannot direct. It was passed by this House in 2013, which is interesting with regard to the governance of the HSE. I believe individual cases reflect the faults of systems and processes and we should have that capacity as public representatives. The individual case can shine a light on a broader systemic problem. It is just not good enough and I want it resolved, not just for Adam but also for other children.

"It is a genuine scandal how many services which children rely upon have failed in recent years. The situation is by some distance worse than it was before. One look at the waiting list for scoliosis illustrates this". Those were the Taoiseach's words in 2017. I could also read others, but I will not bother. The former Minister, Deputy Harris, made a commitment regarding four months that was not honoured. It was that there would be a list and children would be prioritised after four months because of the complexity of what happens as regards the operations needed when there is no timely surgery. We all know it is a worse outcome.

I committed to raising this yesterday. I was driving a car when I heard this, and I got upset. I have a ten-year-old son who does not have these issues, but I would do absolutely anything to ensure he got the best treatment. That is what Christine and her family are doing. There are 172 children waiting for scoliosis treatment. They have to be the priority of the Taoiseach and this Government, above any small tax deductions or fivers here, there or anywhere.

The consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Conor Green, has very eloquently told the stories of how some of these children have very complex neurological disorders and they need absolute priority. Adam is one of them. Will the Taoiseach please ensure that happens? Yesterday's budget means absolutely nothing to me, tens of thousands watching this or, dare I say it, some people in this Chamber if we cannot deliver for those children.

The budget does not mean anything to parents and children in situations like this. What matters is that our health service can respond in a proper, timely and effective manner to children with particular conditions that require surgery or other forms of medical treatment. That is the bottom line. Investments have been made. Previous Ministers have allocated increased resources and so on. Nonetheless, it is still not good enough that we have children like Adam Terry and others who have simply been waiting too long to get urgent complex surgery done. We need to ensure we have the theatre capacity and the personnel available so that these operations can take place in a timely manner and the appointments for children waiting for spinal surgeries, other surgeries or other appointments happen without delay. I am committed to working on this and ensuring we get it resolved, not just in these cases but for paediatrics in general and children in general so that they would get their operations and appointments in a timely manner.