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TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has said it is clear that the majority of the €19 million fund aimed at reducing children’s spinal surgery waiting list was not used for the purpose intended by government.
In 2022, the Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly allocated an additional 19 million euros to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) with the main aim of reducing waiting lists for child orthopaedic surgeries, among other services.
However, it has since emerged that the funding was used more broadly by CHI.
Donnelly allocated the funding as part of an ambition that no child would be waiting longer than four months for scoliosis surgery.
It came after a similar pledge in 2017 when his predecessor in the role Simon Harris, now Taoiseach, set the four-month target.
During Leaders’ Questions, Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the promise had been “broken over and over again”.
“Immediately, both parents and patient advocates had serious concerns that Children’s Health Ireland intended to spend this money differently from the purposes that was allocated to them.”
He said parents raised their concerns multiple times, including in March 2022 – within weeks of the funding being announced.
“Shockingly, it took until February of this year for the Minister for Health to order an audit,” said Doherty.
The Tánaiste said it was not possible to audit the use of millions of euros for child scoliosis services in the immediate weeks after it was allocated.
In an interview with The Journal last December, Donnelly said he was “not satisfied” with the answers from CHI as to why the resources the government funded and allocated have not brought down the waiting list numbers.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Martin said CHI informed the minister that its plan would mean that by the end of 2022 the number of children waiting over four months would be reduced to zero.
“That is what CHI said to the minister and the minister funded the plan on that basis. The investment did result in an increase in the number of surgeries performed but the reduction in the waiting list was modest and was nowhere near what was promised,” said the Tánaiste.
Donnelly did engage on the matter in 2023, said the Tánaiste.
“He did not ignore the issue but engaged directly with spinal surgeons and with advocacy groups. It became clear that the additional resources of €19 million had been allocated far wider than just children’s spinal, or even children’s orthopaedic, services,” said Martin.
The health minister said at the end of last year, he sought assurances from CHI via his department.
“We didn’t get them. I sought assurances via the board of CHI. We didn’t get them. And I then took the unprecedented step of instructing the chief executive the HSE to send in the HSE internal auditors,” said Donnelly.
“It is an absolute scandal. Where is the accountability?” Doherty asked, stating that children were being “forced to suffer in agony without any light at the end of the tunnel” as he accused the health minister of ignoring their pleas.
“These patients, these advocates, these parents reached out to Minister Donnelly and his office over and over and over and over again.
“They told him that this money wasn’t going to be spent on the promise that he gave them and their children. They pleaded with him to investigate this matter two years ago,” said the Sinn Féin deputy.
The Tanaiste said the government’s commitment “is to do everything we possibly can as quickly as we can to reduce waiting lists for children waiting for scoliosis operations”.
Doherty said the within weeks of the money being allocated, the parents and the advocates were telling the minister’s office that this money was not going where it is needed.
“They were begging them to investigate this,” said Doherty, accusing the minister of “doing nothing”.
“Because two years later, you still don’t know where this money is gone,” said Doherty.
Donnelly described the remarks from the Sinn Fein benches as “nonsense” and “totally disingenuous”, adding that he had met families many times.
Greed.
@Moses: You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’
To see you again…
@Moses: It’s perfectly reasonable. You can’t be going around looking at stuff for free. I live in quite a scenic area and the other day I saw some fella looking at some lovely things, bold as brass. I was having none of it. Stood in front of him until he left, so I did. Cheeky git.
We have done this lovely walk many times.(And contributed to the local economy by staying in a bnb and purchasing locally). I would not pay to walk again.
@Fiona Liston: Plenty that will. We don’t need ya
@Luma plex: I’m assuming you’re joking. If not, you think it’s ok to charge people to walk in the fresh air ? And people give out about expensive Dublin ? Clare will become the new rip off place to visit.
Very surprised the comments are open on this article…..the articles for commenting on are getting fewer by the day for some reason !
@Jb Walshe: After seeing some of the comments that were deleted before closing the comments on the article about the memorial to national soldiers I can understand why comments are not being open on all articles.
@Roy Dowling: Example?
@I’m Far Right: the most notable one was using Veradkers sexuality to attack him instead of just saying he shouldn’t have been there. No need for it and probably the reason comments were closed
@Roy Dowling: That sounds awful. Hopefully Leo didn’t see it. Poor wee lad.
@Jb Walshe: those debunked articles are hilarious, usually overlook plenty of facts to suit the explanation and comments are closed in case they’re rumbled.
@I’m Far Right: Ah so you are one of those. Don’t know who I’m surprised
@Fintan Stack: this is the real reason. Talk about how much you like Coldplay all you like, but don’t come here to discuss serious topics and expect not get censored at some stage by the blatantly biased Journal.
They must be in trouble if they’re asking for handouts in the middle of an article.
@Journal Snowflake: …and without so much as a reach-around.
@Fintan Stack: Well don’t read it if you don’t like it! There are plenty of other Irish news sources if you don’t like The Journal’s values. It’s free. What’s the problem? You pay for what you get.
@Journal Snowflake: yes, we’re the fourth richest country in the world, our worst off are 60% better off than the worst off in the UK, and somebody with four dependent kids who chooses never to work can get state supports including housing that equate to a salary of more than 50k before tax. Our medical care and education are free, older people get a pension even if they never contributed to one, along with free travel.
So yes, we’re being screwed, we should kick out our centrist governments and replace them with the IRA.
(Or the weird lad with all the gold bars).
Greed, greed and more ******k8n greed. What a sham of a country we have become.
@Charles Mc Carthy: It is not the ordinary people who are greedy but it is those few fat Greedy Councilors who firmly believe that it is their job to relieve people of their hard earned money. I haven’t visited the Cliffs since the council began charging for parking. None of my children have never visited the Cliffs. How many people who live within ten miles of the Cliffs will never visit the them?
@Seán Ó Maoildeirg: your kids are missing out. Park in Doolin old village for free, it’s 5 mins walk from walk to Cliffs of Moher, spectacular views along the way – although probably takes 90 mins at least to get to O’Brien’s Tower
I remember when there was just a car park at the Cliffs of Moher. No charge……. no bother at all. Then the greed started to kick in. I haven’t been back since
@Johannes Baader: you had a car back then? And you’re still driving? Respect!
Yeay capitalism !
@Alex Kane: You don’t understand what capitalism is.
@Alex Kane: Capitalism was the farmers who decided to use their own property as carparks and undercut the council one in price by a huge percentage. That was kind of cool huh? That’s the free market approach but the government doesn’t like the free market competing like that, so they shut down the competition. In short, capitalism was providing a good solution here and the quasi socialist government stopped it.
Boycott these activities and let’s see what happens when no money is getting in.
Comments closed for the protest at Cork City Library. What are you afraid of, Journal? Free speech?
The boom is back baby……greed is good
And what about Lahinch and Lehinch
All these objections are falling on deaf ears. It’s a long long way from Clare to hear
Well done to the protesters in cork
They’ll be charging to get in to O’Connors or McGanns next.
Nothing wild about the wild Atlantic way
@eoin fitzpatrick: It’s wilder than your one bed flat in dcc
Maybe they could raise the local property tax instead?
Clare locals should stick to farming and stop moaning. They’re our cliffs now.
@Luma plex: Your cheque is in the post.
Thieving c$$ts
Questions….
Surely stopping to drop someone off is not a parking violation…?
Can the double yellow lines be appealled ..positive action is needed.
I was one of the fools that had to pay e12 a person as there was 4 of us in car . To walk along in the rain with the THOUSANDS of others . 1% of them IRISH . 99% TOURISTS. They won’t let u stop the car anywhere near to let people out . As marshalls out moving traffic and ticketing ppl. They even charge u to go into the tower now . So basically rip off ireland at its best . 2 hrs at the cliffs . E48 entrance . 4 Coffees e16 . The rain free , definitely a Mastercard movement.
No one should be charged to walk on a cliff.
No one should be charged to drop someone off.
And there should be a legal maximum to charge people to park their cars.
How absolutely ridiculous.
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