TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said he will meet with the parents of Harvey Morrison Sherratt “at time of their choosing and in a manner that works for them”.

Nine-year-old Harvey, who had scoliosis and spina bifida, died on 29 July.

His parents, Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt, said their son waited for years for spinal surgery, during which time the curve in his spine went from 75 degrees to 130 degrees.

By the time Harvey received spinal surgery last December, the curve had reached the point where it could not be fully corrected.

His parents, opposition politicians and campaigners have called for the Tánaiste and former minister for health, Simon Harris, to step down, after he pledged in 2017 that no child would wait more than four months for scoliosis treatment.

Earlier this month, Harris spoke to Harvey’s mother Gillian on the phone and he pledged to meet with Harvey’s family in the near future.

Asked today by RTÉ if this meeting had taken place, Harris remarked that he had previously “directly spoken to Harvey’s mother to convey my sympathies and absolutely to offer to meet”.

Harris said this meeting “will take place at a time of their choosing, and in a manner that works for them”.

He said he expects the meeting to take place in the “next few weeks”.

Harris added: “What I would say is this; successive governments and ministers, including myself, have applied a focus and extra resources to this issue.

“And despite all of that, we’re nowhere near where we need to be as a country.

“What we must do now is very carefully listen to the parents and the clinicians.”

Harris said he has spoken to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on the issue.

When Harris was Minister for Health, he made a commitment in 2017 that no child would wait more than four months for scoliosis treatment.

When asked if parents would be able to “believe a commitment” from Harris and the government, in light of this previous commitment by Harris, he replied: “I remember the HSE giving me that commitment when I was (health) minister.

“I remember lots of extra surgeries being carried out and more children getting treatment.

“But I also know that that absolutely was not sustained.”

Harris added that there are “legitimate questions” from parents in relation to treatment plans and pathways of care in Children’s Health Ireland.

“We’ve got to listen to them,” said Harris, “we’ve got to all work together on this.

“I have no intention of playing a kind of partisan politics in this.

“I will humbly approach this issue – we all must do better on this and I’m absolutely committed to that.”