Mr. Fergal Goodman:

When talking about the reversal of the FEMPI cuts, it is important to note that the mandate the Department and HSE would have were they engaging in a fee discussion with dental professionals would concern modernisation, reform and service development. That would be the context in which the Government may commit to additional funding. There would not be a mechanism just about undoing a fee change and changing nothing else. That is the basis on which we would engage. That was the mandate we had in regard to general medical practitioners, as the Chairman is probably aware. I am not saying that in a negative way but that would be the basis on which I would anticipate we would be mandated to engage. In the context of the implementation discussion we referred to earlier in this meeting, that is where the fee construct will come into it.

I was asked about the funding implications of the policy and the costings, which are subject to evolution over time, an eight to ten-year period. Taking into account current fee levels, probably in the region of €80 million would need to be committed.

We have heard quite a few discussions here on resource issues of one sort or another. Some issues are structural and some pertain to resources. We all know the health service is challenged all the time trying to live within resources and finding the resources to do additional things. The process for decisions on additional funding will essentially be annual in the context of each year's Estimates. We have a job of work to construct the proposition for a contractual engagement. Going into that process, we would need to understand that the money will be or can be provided when we come with an outcome from it, which is what we did with general practitioners.