Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the commitment on page 47 of the programme for Government in respect of children's health. The school dental scheme in County Laois has collapsed. The dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, for adult medical card patients has collapsed. There are no dentists in the county providing this service or who will take on new clients, so the dental scheme in the county is non-existent. The reply to a parliamentary question on the DTSS confirms that no dentists are willing to take it on. The reply to a parliamentary question on the schools scheme confirms that is non-existent. There are boys and girls of 16 or 17 years of age who have never seen a dentist. The Taoiseach saw a dentist when he was going to school, as did I. We all saw a dentist when we were in second class or third class. I raised this issue with the then Minister for Health and now Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, eight or nine years ago as this issue was developing and he told me they should privatise the whole thing.

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