Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the Taoiseach's response, including about creating an inclusive and fair society. I raise an issue with him that has again come across my desk that is neither inclusive nor fair. A nine-year-old child living in my constituency has been told it will take between four and six years for urgent and extensive root canal treatment in the public system. To seek treatment privately would cost thousands of euro that this family, like so many others, simply does not have. Our dental care remains a postcode lottery, with children waiting almost ten years for HSE school dental screening services. Primary level children who should receive three check-ups are not even receiving the first until well into the secondary school period. This is the most basic and routine of dental care which ensures that future costs are significantly reduced. This deterioration of the public dental health scheme is simply unacceptable. It is another example of the unravelling of that social contract. My constituents work hard but they simply cannot put their hands on that level of money. Like so many others, they have to choose between heating, eating and now ensuring that their daughter has the appropriate level of dental care. When will the Taoiseach take action to address this and the dental treatment scheme service?

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