I want to raise the case of Chloe Maher, a 23-year-old young woman from Coolock in Dublin who died at the weekend. This is a young woman who had no intervention for her scoliotic curve on her spine. She had a preoperative intervention about three years ago, and then nothing. Now she has passed away for lack of a timely intervention. This is the second young adult or child who has died in these circumstances in recent months. Yesterday, I went to the Tullamore Court Hotel and met a mother, Angela Briggs, who is terrified for her daughter because she is not getting any treatment for her scoliotic curve. The fear is that her condition will become inoperable and that she will lose the power to walk, will have to use a wheelchair and may die from complications arising from a lack of intervention.

What is the Government doing with Children's Health Ireland? Why is it not being compelled to intervene and provide the surgical assistance and interventions that are necessary for disabled citizens? I will tell the House why. It is because this is an ableist State in which the Government and its agencies assign lesser human value to disabled citizens. Young men and young women are allowed to die on waiting lists. For shame. I have been talking about this in the Chamber for the past four years. Since the general election, the Government has taken successive decisions that have left disabled citizens and carers in further enduring poverty. We have hundreds of children who are not getting the interventions they need to develop as young citizens. During the statements on disability last week, I raised the case of children in County Galway who are becoming non-verbal and losing the power of speech. Imagine denying a child the power to speak, our most powerful instrument as human beings to mobilise social inclusion and to articulate our needs, concerns and our love. Children are being denied this for want of a timely, routine intervention that is available to citizens all over the EU.

I will not let up on this. Before we assume the Presidency of the EU, we need to have a debate in this Chamber about how Ireland has completely failed in its legal obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and we are complete outliers in the European Union. To allow young women and men to die while on waiting lists is not good enough.