Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for her reply. I welcome the fact that she stated the Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to introduce a preventive dental health programme for children under 12 and adult medical card holders.

The thrust of my Topical Issue matter concerns children in primary school. Children in primary schools in Offaly and Laois are being put at risk of undiagnosed oral disease because the HSE is not providing the staff numbers required. We are fast heading towards having the service reduced to an emergency service instead of one with proper routine care. This is absolutely unacceptable. The HSE's management must be urged to take action. I appeal to the Minister of State to ensure the Minister, Deputy Harris, immediately requests that the filling of the vacant dental surgeon position be sanctioned. This matter arose in May 2016 and the post still has not been sanctioned. It is crucial that we try to return to the level of service we were rolling out a little less than ten years ago. I realise, of course, we have been through a very difficult crisis in this country but it is unacceptable in 2017 that our primary schoolchildren are being exposed to the risk of oral difficulties.

See this speech in context