Concerns have been raised in Cork regarding access for children to MRI scans in circumstances where a general anaesthetic is required. My understanding is that there were outside people coming in to do this work. That all stopped last year. The waiting list has grown substantially and, as a result, there is a concern. Eight consultants signed a letter advising of their concerns. The question now is how we are going to resolve this issue. Planning was granted for a new paediatric unit at Cork University Hospital, CUH, in 2022. Work on that project has not commenced. Access to certain procedures for children is being restricted as a result. My understanding is that people from outside were being employed to do some of the work involved but that this has stopped. The other issue that is of concern relates to the outpatient unit that is due to open at Curraheen and whether there will be sufficient staff to operate it. What happened in this instance was that external firms were brought in to do the work. That has stopped, but no additional staff have been taken on to do the work that was being done previously. I have no problem with work being stopped in circumstances where outside contractors were doing it. However, I do have a concern about waiting lists growing substantially. There is also a question in relation to paediatric services in Cork. There is now major concern about how long a child will have to wait if they need an MRI scan in circumstances where he or she needs a general anaesthetic in order for the scan to take place. The letter to which I refer states that the waiting time could be as long as four years. That is really not acceptable at this stage. What can be done to make sure that there is not an unreasonable waiting time when it comes to getting access to these scans and to resolve the other issues the consultants involved have raised? I hope those issues can be resolved by the HSE, the management at the hospital and the people working at the coalface, namely the consultants, general doctors and nurses. That needs to be looked at. When will action be taken on this matter?

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I will reply to the Minister in my next contribution.

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My understanding is that the eight consultants signed the letter. It was sent to the head of the HSE. They expressed serious concerns to the effect about delays and about the consequences of those delays. The headline of the article I read, and in respect of which I did some further checking, was "Doctors at Cork hospital call for 'immediate action' to mitigate risk of 'preventable paediatric deaths'". A headline like that will cause serious alarm for parents of children who are waiting.

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I raised this matter in order that assurances can be provided and that people can get access to care in a timely manner. A question still arises as to why, previously, there was outsourcing or there were people coming in to do this work privately. That practice has now stopped. The argument being put forward by the consultants is that no additional staff have been taken on to deal with the vacuum that has been created and that, as a result, the list is going to grow and people are going to be waiting longer. In relation to MRIs, where a concern is expressed by a GP or a medical consultant in relation to a child's health, if there is any delay, there may not be any going back because the treatment was not provided in a timely manner. Eight people at senior level would not sign such a letter unless there are genuine concerns about the waiting time. Whatever the issue is when it comes to providing care for children, it needs to be resolved. I fully understand that we are putting a huge amount of money into the new national children's hospital, and rightly so, but it is important that areas outside of Dublin are not left in limbo as regards people getting access to the care that is required. As a result, I ask that this issue be looked at. The Minister may not have all the answers this morning, but she might come back to me on the matter.

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I thank the Minister.

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