Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Excellent. I thank Dr. Kavanagh.

I have two questions relating to specific areas. My first, unsurprisingly enough, relates to my own constituency of Dublin Fingal. Figures from replies to parliamentary questions show that of the 84,000 children who are on waiting lists, there are 4,450 in my own area who have been waiting longer than 52 weeks. That is the number of children currently in fourth class with no guarantee that they will be offered a screening appointment. That is clearly very worrying. I happen to represent the constituency with the fastest-growing population in this State, and possibly even in Europe, so that should be enough. I see parents in my advice clinics on a weekly basis who are concerned because their children's teeth are deteriorating and they are stuck on waiting lists. The witnesses know the figures so I am not going to go through every single waiting list, but the list of children waiting for more than 52 weeks jumps out at me. That is a year. If someone is due a test in fourth class and they have to wait a year, one does not have to be a genius to figure out that they will not be in fourth class at the end of it. What happens to these children? According to the witnesses' own figures, it is highly unlikely they will get the screening. I talk to their parents, so I know that, in many instances, the money is not there for them to go private. Why should they have to, aside from the fact that their children are left waiting? What are the likely outcomes of missing that important appointment for those children? I presume it is important, otherwise it would not be on the schedule.