Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the information, but I have to say that I know from dealing with my constituents that the lived experience, irrespective of the figures, does not concur with what was stated in the script he was provided by the Department. To be honest, a free scheme is a free scheme and the cost becomes irrelevant to the people who seek to access it. We should not give a commitment if we are not going to honour it, irrespective of the cost.

The Minister of State said there are 57 contractors. We looked for the names of the dentists on the scheme quite recently and we were given two in Galway west, nine in Galway east and 13 in the city. I will check whether there is an updated list and if it has more than doubled in the meantime, but that is certainly not the information we were given. I will raise the issue here again if the figure of 57 does not stand up in reality. As the Minister of State is aware, it is important that the facts and figures given on the record are accurate.

The lived experience is that people cannot access routine treatment. I heard what was said about emergencies, but an emergency should be an emergency. That should not be the routine way to go. We also know that, with dental health, prevention is much better than cure and that early intervention on cavities and other issues that arise with dental health is far superior to trying to solve a problem that should have been avoided.

Finally, I especially ask the Minister of State to mention to the Minister the challenge faced by those with a disability and particularly, since they raised the issue with me, with an intellectual disability. They do not have the same ability to fend for themselves in trying to negotiate a complex bureaucratic system. Will someone make sure they get access to genuine free dental care as promised?

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