Paul Murphy demands tribunal-style inquiry into CHI care
Paul Murphy addressed the Dáil on 19 November 2025, calling for a statutory inquiry into the care of children with scoliosis and spina bifida at CHI. He urged a public, tribunal-style inquiry co-designed with families and advocacy groups and pressed for publication of outstanding reports.
Paul Murphy said it was outrageous that an inquiry has only now been secured after long campaigning. He listed harms including long waits that left children in pain or inoperable, insertion of unlicensed non-medical springs, and the deaths of Harvey and Morrison Sherrod following removal from a waiting list.
He highlighted whistleblower accounts about the treatment of Harvey and the failure to deliver palliative care, and criticised remarks describing a child as "not fit for a sneeze". He paid tribute to Gillian and Stephen and to campaigners and advocacy groups who demanded justice and answers.
Mr Murphy insisted the inquiry must be co-designed with affected families and advocacy groups and favoured a tribunal of inquiry held in public with powers to compel evidence. He said reassurance from the government that this approach will be taken would be "very, very welcome."
He raised questions about the Niagam report, noting the risk assessment element has been completed and is under consideration, and asked that it be published in full and unredacted. He also urged that investigations should not be limited to paediatric cases, citing contact from an adult patient of the surgeon in question and calling for adult care to be examined.
Paul Murphy referenced an email from a clinical director at Kappa that ended multidisciplinary team meetings because osteotomies were not happening. He queried why records of osteotomies are being reviewed only from 2010 when novel osteotomies date back to 2002 and said the discrepancy makes no sense.
He reported submitting parliamentary questions in September about DIPG brain tumour biopsies and said he is still awaiting answers from the HSE. He expressed concern that Ireland may be performing an unnecessary number of biopsies, potentially with fatal consequences for children, and is seeking clarity and data.
Call for statutory inquiry
Paul Murphy said it was outrageous that an inquiry has only now been secured after long campaigning. He listed harms including long waits that left children in pain or inoperable, insertion of unlicensed non-medical springs, and the deaths of Harvey and Morrison Sherrod following removal from a waiting list.
Whistleblower revelations and family testimony
He highlighted whistleblower accounts about the treatment of Harvey and the failure to deliver palliative care, and criticised remarks describing a child as "not fit for a sneeze". He paid tribute to Gillian and Stephen and to campaigners and advocacy groups who demanded justice and answers.
Inquiry design and powers
Mr Murphy insisted the inquiry must be co-designed with affected families and advocacy groups and favoured a tribunal of inquiry held in public with powers to compel evidence. He said reassurance from the government that this approach will be taken would be "very, very welcome."
Outstanding reports and adult-care concerns
He raised questions about the Niagam report, noting the risk assessment element has been completed and is under consideration, and asked that it be published in full and unredacted. He also urged that investigations should not be limited to paediatric cases, citing contact from an adult patient of the surgeon in question and calling for adult care to be examined.
Clinical practices, Kappa MDTs and osteotomy records
Paul Murphy referenced an email from a clinical director at Kappa that ended multidisciplinary team meetings because osteotomies were not happening. He queried why records of osteotomies are being reviewed only from 2010 when novel osteotomies date back to 2002 and said the discrepancy makes no sense.
DIPG biopsies and HSE responses
He reported submitting parliamentary questions in September about DIPG brain tumour biopsies and said he is still awaiting answers from the HSE. He expressed concern that Ireland may be performing an unnecessary number of biopsies, potentially with fatal consequences for children, and is seeking clarity and data.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Joe O'Reilly
Joe O'Reilly Urges Public Education on Migration and Condemns Racism
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett: Demands Ring's End Upgrade after Sewage Spills
Martin Daly
Martin Daly: Criticises agency spending and calls for health reform
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan warns of Ireland's worsening brain drain
Victor Boyhan
Victor Boyhan Questions Regulator's Staffing and Powers
Eoghan Kenny
Eoghan Kenny details expansion of health and veterinary student places
Transcript
Thanks a lot. I welcome that we're finally going to have a statutory inquiry into care of children with scoliosis spina bifida at CHI. I think it's very unfortunate. I think it's outrageous that it has taken what it's taken to get to this point that we do have an inquiry. It's a long time that campaigners have been calling for one, and some of us in the Dáil have been doing so. Not just the hundreds of children who have been left waiting in pain, getting worse, in some cases becoming inoperable. Not just the scandal of the unnecessary, unlicensed, non-medical grade, non-medical devices springs being inserted inside children. Not just the death of Harvey and Morrison Sherrod, after having previously been wrongly taken off a waiting list. Not just the outpouring of anger that we saw on the streets at the end of the summer around the idea of justice for Harvey, but I think it represented the idea of justice for all our children who were being failed, in particular by CHI, but in general also by the state. But then added to that the really horrifying revelations from the whistleblower in terms of the treatment of Harvey, of the idea that he was palliative, and yet then nothing seemed to happen in terms of palliative care. And then again, at the weekend again, like an awful way of speaking about a young child, saying that he wasn't, quote, fit, not fit for a sneeze. Awful stuff, awful that parents have to hear it and then speak out about it. I do want to pay tribute to Gillian and Stephen for speaking out, and obviously at a moment of immense grief. And all the campaigners and the advocate groups who have been pushing for so long for, and really shouldn't have to, for justice, for answers, etc. For me, the key issue in terms of the inquiry is that it is done, co-designed with these families and the advocacy groups, with their agreement. I understand what they want to see is a tribunal of inquiry, that therefore happens in public, powers of compelability, all of that. And if we could have a reassurance that that is going to be the approach of the government, that would be very, very welcome. I want to raise some related issues. One, just to ask the Minister about the status of the Niagam report. I got a PQ answer in, I think it was October, where, say, that the, I mean, it started in September 2023, we're now, which is in November 2025. The risk assessment aspect of the view has been completed and is being considered. Can I ask that the risk assessment will be published in full and in non, not be redacted? I asked the Minister whether that's going to happen. Secondly, I would say, in relation to what flows from the Niagam report, and obviously that particularly relates to a particular surgeon, that we should not be limiting an investigation of what happened to children. I've been contacted, I've mentioned it, I think twice on the dull record before, by an adult patient of this surgeon with a lot of concerns. I'm obviously not qualified to say whether there were problems or not, but I think at the very least, given what we know, adult care also needs to be looked at. I also want to ask, in relation to Kappa being fully included, I've previously referenced the email from the clinical director at Kappa ending the MDTs because of osteotomies not happening. I also want to ask about why, still, I've got a new PQ answer saying that there are still, in terms of the hip dysplasia, still, and the osteotomies, still only going back to 2010, even though we know that they go back, that these novel osteotomies go back to 2002, it makes no sense to me. And finally, on another issue, the Minister might help me get PQ answers. I've put in PQs back in September in relation to DIPG, which is a form of brain tumour, a very aggressive brain tumour, basically the number of biopsies that are happening. I put PQs in in September, early September, I'm still waiting back for answers from the HSE. But effectively, it's come to my attention that Ireland may be doing an unnecessary number of these biopsies, a lot of biopsies when other countries are not, potentially with fatal results for children. So I'm looking for answers on those. Dr. Carpenter.