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

It is one of those things people should talk about more. Before people start to build much-needed houses, they should talk about the services that need to follow.

I have a question on behalf of my colleague Deputy Funchion, which relates to the Carlow-Kilkenny area. There are a few things in the answer we received to this parliamentary question. Some 1,748 people have been on a waiting list for longer than 52 weeks in Carlow, and 2,181 in Kilkenny. They are going to have the same complications Dr. Green has just outlined. That is one thing, but reference is also made to a fire in St. Dympna's Hospital which led to the cessation of dental services and the cancellation of surgeries for four months. What is the current state of play for children in Carlow and Kilkenny with regard to access and services?