Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Hourihan and the other witnesses from the Irish Dental Association. It is clear from the commentary that, as a State, we are being penny wise and pound foolish by not investing properly in the school screening service, which has knock-on effects, and by failing to agree a new deal.

Mr. Hourihan stated that as there was no review in the intervening period, none of the items currently provided is economically viable and some are no longer in line with modern best practice dental care. Could he elaborate on that because it is quite worrying?

The second issue he talked about was the threat of criminal sanction because of collective bargaining. What alternative has the Department proposed to reach any sort of agreement if it does not agree to negotiate with the Irish Dental Association? Does it propose to hold discussions with 1,000 or 1,200 individual dentists?