Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay, I will have to look back in that regard. Back in 2019, UCC was granted planning permission for a five-storey building in Curraheen but this did not progress. A fortnight ago, the Irish Examiner reported UCC has now "dropped plans for Cork University Dental School and Hospital to move to a bigger site, despite its dean warning that the current building is “untenable” without significant investment". As the dean is reported as pointing out, the current building is "a frail, old building. It’s got a leaking roof and other issues as would be expected of a building that age".

I fully understand what the Minister is saying as regards universities being autonomous bodies. Is he concerned about the number of dentists we are producing more generally? Will he comment on the need for infrastructure to fill that gap?

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