Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I appreciate the concern of Deputy Kitt in this regard. I assure him that I will give this issue further attention in the coming months. It is a welcome development that additional dentists will be trained specifically to cater for vulnerable groups, including homeless people. The additional person in the HSE west will be a positive development. I hope I can come back to the Deputy later in the year with specific details on what is proposed. People who are homeless in the Galway area, who have medical cards, are entitled to the enhanced services currently available. I appreciate the difficulty in accessing such groups or encouraging them to avail of the services but I encourage them to take up the services available to them.

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