455. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health the timeline for completion of the internal audit review into the allocation of €19 million to Children’s Health Ireland to tackle waiting lists for scoliosis and spina bifida; the date at which he expects to receive the final report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38649/24]

In 2022, I asked Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) to come up with a plan to achieve a 4-month waiting time for in-patient access to treatment. I committed €19 million to children’s orthopaedics to tackle these waiting lists by creating additional capacity. This investment has led to the hiring of more healthcare professionals in Crumlin, Temple Street, and Cappagh. This includes nurses, consultants, anaesthesiologists, and radiographers. This investment has also funded a 5th operating theatre in Temple Street, a second MRI in Crumlin, and additional beds.This has supported a significant increase in the number of spinal procedures carried out in 2022 and 2023, compared to 2019. The expected reduction in the waiting lists were offset by increases in demand and referrals compared to previous years. The assurance I was given, was that the number of children waiting more than 4 months would reduce steadily to zero unless clinically deemed otherwise, but this did not happen.

At the end of 2023, following the implementation of the majority of the additional capacity, and having consulted with patient groups and clinicians, I instructed my officials to seek assurances from the HSE and CHI that the funding allocated was being utilised as intended. The response received was not satisfactory. For this reason, in February this year, I requested the HSE to have their internal audit team review the allocation of the €19 million in the context of what it was allocated to achieve. I understand that the audit fieldwork is now complete, and the audit is going through the formal clearance process.