Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Can Mr. Mulvany ensure that I get the breakdown, as always, for Laois-Offaly? I understand that there are three different types of services. First, there is a public one, which is the PRSI service, whereby some people get cover if they have a certain class of PRSI and are entitled to certain treatments. The second is the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, which is the medical card scheme. The third one is the school service. I am trying to understand what is happening in the three of those. I am saying here today that the school service is not available in the part of the planet I inhabit; it is not available in Laois. Every time HSE representatives appear before the committee, I will say the same thing to them because this has to be fixed. There is no primary school dental service in County Laois and it is patchy in County Offaly as well. Children who have gone right through that system, are almost at the end of the secondary school system and are 17 years of age, have never seen a school dentist or public dentist.

I am saying directly to our witnesses that on its budget, the Committee of Public Accounts and I want to know that if the Department of Health takes up a significant amount of money for the budget over at the Miesian Plaza - I would argue for as much money as possible going there because running the health service is expensive - that we will see a service at the other end. What is happening in between? If we are relying on private providers, why are we not offering a career path here to train, recruit, encourage and educate people into these positions?

This must be sorted. The DTSS has collapsed also. It is non-existent. There is no DTSS. The HSE is negotiating with hundreds of businesses.