Mr. Fintan Hourihan:

On its website, the HSE publishes and updates the list of participating dentists who hold contracts, usually on a monthly basis. Some of those dentists are not taking any more patients, simply because they cannot. It does not operate in the same way as with the medical doctors, where there is a fixed number of patients per participating doctor. Unfortunately, if there are more leaving the scheme, those who are left are facing bigger and bigger numbers and they cannot see all of the patients who would like to see them. The number of dentists who hold contracts is held by the HSE and is available through its website. There is not a list per se of alternative options. The Irish Dental Association's website has a find-a-dentist facility, which details other dentists in the locality. If a person was in Tallaght, in Carlow or in Tipperary, he or she can find out what other dentists are there but three out of four them are not in the medical card scheme. Some of them will be able to see patients but they will be seeing them as private patients because they are either in or out of the scheme.

The way the scheme is set up now is like going to a medical doctor and being told the only option is to chop of your limbs, your leg or whatever. The preventative element of the scheme is entirely gone. It is an emergency pain relief scheme and has limited numbers of options in terms of saving teeth. The scheme is so out of date and so past its sell-by date that we cannot understand why there has been such a delay. To answer the Cathaoirleach's specific question, there is a breakdown. The HSE updates a list on its website, I would say on a monthly basis, that can be made available. I am sure the HSE would provide it but it is publically available.