I raise this Topical Issue because children across south Tipperary, and children across the south east, are being left without access to basic community ophthalmology services due to repeated recruitment failure following the planned retirement of the previous consultant, Dr. Hillery, in August 2024. This is not a new issue. I have raised it repeatedly throughout 2025, in February, April, July, October and December and, most recently, in January of this year. On every occasion, I sought an update on the recruitment progress and, crucially, what contingency arrangements were put in place or are in place. In January of this year, I again asked what immediate measures were operating, yet here we are in February 2026 and still no change. The latest figures made available to me show that almost 1,500 children under the age of four, and 334 children aged between five and 17, are waiting for basic community ophthalmology services. That is almost 1,800 children in south Tipperary alone waiting for basic ophthalmology care, the majority of whom are under the age of five. As the Minister of State and everybody in this House will know, in early childhood, vision development is time sensitive. Delays in assessment and treatment can have lasting consequences. For every young child, an 18-month wait is not neutral. It can mean missing critical development windows. Parents are being told routine referrals carry waiting times of approximately 18 months. Some children in my constituency whose parents have been in contact with my office were referred in 2023 and remain on the list. In the interim, families are advised to contact the clinic in University Hospital Waterford if concerns become urgent. The reality is that the phone is not being answered. This is not a structured contingency plan. Recruitment failure cannot mean service absence. I again ask the Minister of State very directly about this. Are weekend clinics currently operating? Has private provision been formally contracted? Are children being systematically referred across HSE areas? Is temporary contracting or emergency outsourcing now in place? Crucially, what is the update on the appointment of the permanent ophthalmologist for south Tipperary to be based in Clonmel? We are now looking for concrete proposals. Children across south Tipperary are entitled to the same access to community ophthalmology services as children anywhere else in our State. After raising this issue throughout 2025, I believe families deserve a clear and concrete answer today.

Sentiment score: -0.02

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome confirmation that there has been concrete interest and that a number of applicants have applied after the most recent recruitment drive. It is important that a permanent consultant ophthalmologist is in place at the earliest opportunity. I also support additional contingency measures and the scoping exercise referred to by the Minister of State, linking in with the Dublin hospital because we have waiting lists. I alluded to the fact 1,800 children, mostly under the age of five are on the waiting list, including Rory and Aoife, who were referred to my office. They are both under the age of five and were referred back on 10 October 2023. Today, I cannot give them any indication of when they may be seen. In early childhood, delays in vision care can unfortunately lead to damage. Parents should not have to travel to different counties, seek private care or wait a minimum of 18 months for assessment. As I said, I welcome progress finally being made and I hope that through the latest recruitment process we will have a permanent consultant. I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for upgrading the post to a consultant level. I also acknowledge that the other key appointments are already in place. In essence, children cannot wait. They need appointments and they need them urgently. If we have a permanent ophthalmologist in place, we also need to focus on contingency measures that will assist in bringing down the waiting lists at the earliest opportunity. As I said, the children across Tipperary south need these appointments. It is an emergency.

Sentiment score: 0.22