Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There was an issue with regard to young people which was driven in part by Covid. The school-based schemes were affected by Covid. Money is being put in to catch up on those schemes. The Deputy will be aware that, critically, I funded a new scheme this year. That will be very important in years to come. Almost €5 million has been provided for a preventative scheme for children aged from birth to seven. We will see the benefits of that in years to come.

There are 30% more dentists in Ireland now than there were ten years ago, so the number is increasing.

The population is increasing, and the burden of care is increasing as well. I encourage dentists who have left, on the basis of a very significant increase in fees, to rejoin the scheme. Is it perfect? It is not. Does it need to be upgraded? It does. We are talking to the Department about a more streamlined and modern scheme but, right now, there are people with medical cards throughout the country who could and should be treated under the DTSS. I would love to see those healthcare professionals signing back up with an understanding that we will reform the scheme.

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