'I am absolutely accountable' - Simon Harris to meet parents of Harvey Morrison Sherratt

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he intends on meeting with the parents of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt who died in July of this year after waiting over seven years for scoliosis surgery.

Young Harvey had spina bifida and scoliosis. Like many children across the country, Harvey had endured extensive waiting lists for critical scoliosis surgery. After seven years on waiting lists, he finally got the surgery but sadly died 8 months later as his condition had progressed so severely it could not be fully corrected.

Harvey's death has sparked widespread controversy surrounding the backlog in children's healthcare in Ireland, with many calling for the resignation of Simon Harris, who in 2017 when he was Minister for Health, said no child would have to wait longer than four months for spinal surgery.

A petition seeking Harris' resignation has amounted over 35,000 signatures online.

Speaking on Morning Ireland on Tuesday morning, the Tánaiste was asked if he accepted responsibility for his "failed promise" in 2017. Harris responded: "I am absolutely accountable for comments and decisions I made when I was Minister for Health."

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He went on to say that he wants to meet with Harvey's parents and that he has already spoken to Harvey's mother, Gillian, on the phone. He added that he hopes to meet them both within the month.

Harris said: "They need to be listened to, so too do other parents that they're working with that are highlighting the fact that they have legitimate serious concerns around CHI and issues there. I want to hear them and I know the Minister does too."

When asked if he accepted that he had "no right to give false hope to parents and to children", the Tánaiste pointed at the HSE and CHI for giving misleading hope on targets.

He said: "I reflect on this a lot because I remember how this came about. There was an RTE programme, a Claire Byrne television programme, showing a lot of children in a lot of pain waiting for spinal surgery. I remember the then-Head of the HSE and the then-head of CHI telling me, telling the Oireachtas, tweeting, telling everybody that the HSE and CHI would deliver reform on target and I absolutely repeated that several times as the Minister for Health."

Harris said that "some good did come" with an increase of 200 spinal surgeries and the reduction of waiting time for "long waiters." He also pointed out a new spinal surgeon started in the children's health service in August and the Minister for Health is actively seeking to recruit more.

However, he acknowledged: "We need to do better in relation to this area, we need to listen humbly to parents." He added that parents have raised "legitimate questions" in relation to CHI, not just regarding scoliosis.