Mr. Fintan Hourihan:

Ultimately, there are competing demands and interests. Any Minister or set of officials will decide to prioritise certain items. The second three-year programme under Sláintecare is expiring. The indications from the Department are that it sees there should be an explicit commitment to addressing the need to make changes in dentistry and oral health in the new three-year plan. We take that as a positive indicator. We have been as vocal and active as we can possibly be in advocating for reform and change. It has not been reciprocated. I do not think anybody is ignoring or has anything against us but it just has not been a priority for successive-----