Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am curious about this because I was lucky enough to have been a beneficiary of it as a child. I got extensive dental treatment through the Eastern Health Board in my local health centre and then in St. James's Hospital right through until I was a little bit older than 16. I have seen the benefits it can have for those who need it, of whom there are many, when it works and is functioning. We have had this issue in a number of areas in health and beyond. We have money in the country and are providing it but where are we actually going to get these dentists? The Irish Dental Association has said we need 400 whole-time equivalent staff in our dental service to bring us to where we need to be. There is a role for the Minister, Deputy Harris, in resourcing third level and further education in UCD and Trinity College. What negotiations are taking place to ensure that we are able to develop dentists and orthodontists here but also to attract them from overseas?

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