Despite so much money and time, parents are still waiting on answers over CHI scandals

It is no wonder many have lost confidence in finding a resolution to the issue any time soon, as calls were made to move the inquiry to the Department of the Taoiseach

At a Dáil session on Thursday, the path forward for the CHI inquiry was debated yet again. This comes after €214,500 was spent on a scoping exercise to set out its parameters. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

We know an inquiry into scandals at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) has been promised, so why was this debated again in the Dáil on Thursday?

Why, after €214,500 was spent on a scoping exercise to set out its parameters, are there still so many questions about the direction it will take?

The cost of the scoping exercise emerged during an emotional Dáil session when politicians asked whether a private commission of inquiry, as recommended, is the most appropriate approach. 

Families with children who have scoliosis or spina bifida hydrocephalus sat in the public gallery watching their children’s care be debated, again.

Many feel abandoned after years of crisis with little resolution.

Calls were made to move the inquiry under the Department of the Taoiseach due to parents’ distrust of the Department of Health and CHI. 

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill indicated she has no personal objection to this.

Parents heard her raise the prospect of vulnerable parents or patients being cross-examined in a public forum as something to be avoided.

No doubt there are parents reluctant to give evidence publicly, or those who'd prefer private sessions.

Unfortunately, from previous experience, many also know that unless you go public, you get ignored.

'Physical and emotional scars'

The session heard about parents whose child had a non-medical spring inserted during surgery; a devastating description of a young child left with “physical and emotional scars” after an operation the parents did not consent to.

It seems strange that there now appears to be a focus by the State to protect parents’ feelings, by holding private sessions, having ignored them for so long.

In his scoping exercise, barrister Remy Farrell went through in some detail why a public tribunal is not suitable. 

He raised questions about the impact on patients if the work of healthcare staff is disrupted by a prolonged public inquiry. 

He concluded that “the balance lies quite decisively” with a private commission. 

A report on the private commission would be published afterwards, he stressed. 

Parents remain unconvinced. 

'Breakdown in trust'

Úna Keightley is co-founder of the Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Patient Advocacy Group. She was among those who met the minister and Tánaiste Simon Harris about this inquiry in November.

“The minister had an opportunity in the Dáil today to explain to families why she did not honour the commitments made to them on 12 November 2025. She made no attempt to do so,” she said after leaving Leinster House yesterday.

“These were commitments made directly to parents whose children have suffered harm. 

"They deserved an explanation, and they did not get one.”

She welcomed calls to move the inquiry away from the Department of Health and CHI, saying: “Given the breakdown in trust, we believe that must now happen.” 

Families have asked for an independent mediator to help find a way forward.

Ms Keightly said: “Children and families deserve a public tribunal of inquiry that fully examines the failures in their care, the harm caused, and who was accountable. 

"They deserve answers, not another process they have no confidence in."

It is sobering to think, as many politicians who spoke on Thursday clearly do, that an inquiry likely to cost many millions could leave families at the heart of it still without answers.