Mr. Fintan Hourihan:

For completeness, I will say that the Minister for Health has said that he will address our AGM, which will take place on 8 May. We certainly hope that he will get a report from today's meeting and that he has something positive to say. The Minister is well aware of the issues.

Dentists want to provide care for all sections of the community. The original intention and purpose of the medical card scheme was well-meaning but it is long past its sell-by date. We believe that a new approach is required. We believe that the representation issue needs to be resolved, as an easily sorted impediment but one which has not been resolved before now.

We believe we have plenty of good, constructive ideas and a track record of success with negotiating innovation, and that our members want to see new arrangements in place that work for patients and dentists. I see at least a couple of my colleagues have their virtual hands up so I will leave it at that.

Finally, I thank all the Deputies and Senators for their time. We always know it is an uphill struggle to interest people in dentistry. The point was made that we are not succeeding in explaining the critical importance of oral health within general health, so we very much welcome today's opportunity.