David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is a sticking plaster solution if the money is not spent. That is the point. I welcome the fact that the Minister has committed the additional funding. He has gone some way to address some of the issues. I am not blaming all this on the HSE or on the Minister. I want all parties to come to the table to resolve this issue. The people I am focused on are the medical card holders who cannot get access to care. We can tell them we have provided more funding and there is a pot of money available, but if their dentist is not providing the service it is no use to them. Many of them do not have access to a public dentist to provide the treatment they need. The access does not happen in most areas because we simply do not have enough dentists.

We have to do the root-and-branch reform the Minister mentioned. I appeal to the Irish Dental Association and to dentists to engage with the Minister and the HSE and to come back into the scheme. However, from their perspective, it has to be on the basis of the root-and-branch reform taking place and a clear commitment that it will happen.

More needs to be done. It will be a sticking plaster solution if people cannot get access to the services I am talking about.

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