Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to acknowledge that we have a problem with the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, the medical card scheme for dental services. We have about 1,150 dentists who are part of the scheme. About 300 have left in recent times. That means that in large parts of the country people cannot get a dentist or the dental care that they need. However, it is not fair to say that nothing is happening or that people are being ignored. Negotiations are underway between the HSE, the Department of Health and the Irish Dental Association. Some €56 million goes into the scheme every year and there is €10 million on the table for dentists if they accept the offer that is being made. That is currently under negotiation.

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