Dr. Gerry Cleary:

To go back to the point Deputy Cullinane made, the Dental Council has serious concerns about the matters we are discussing today. The letter to which Deputy Hourigan referred was the council taking the bull by the horns in order to try to raise the matter. We are grateful that the oral health unit has been established. We genuinely believe, as reflected by the Irish Dental Association's comments, that there is movement. We particularly welcome Deputy Cullinane's comment that this committee will do everything it can to support and develop the green shoots that are there. I know Mr. O'Flynn, who has been with the Dental Council for 15 years, has a sense that this is a different process at the moment. Anything this committee can do to support the green shoots, if you want to call them that, of what has been happening with the oral health unit since the start of the year would be extremely welcome. We think there also may be an opportunity to effect some of the changes to which Deputy Shortall alluded and which were outlined in our opening statement. It was an important letter. It seems to have opened a few doors.