Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody who contributed to the debate. I had hoped that the Minister would come in today and outline a clear plan to reform of public dentistry. However, all we got was talk. The scripts that were read out by the two Ministers of State were an absolute disgrace. The Ministers of State are either delusional or blatantly disingenuous. They displayed a complete disconnect from reality. They ignored the hundreds of thousands of people who have been failed by this Government because of its corresponding failure to provide timely dental care.

It is certainly no boast to say that €200 million was spent on dental healthcare last year. Out of a budget of €23 billion, a figure of €200 million is really pathetic. It is shameful that five years after the publication of the dental health policy document Smile agus Sláinte in 2019, we still do not have an implementation plan let alone funding for it.

A year ago, I tabled an amendment to the regulated professions legislation that would have provided for mandatory competency training schemes for dentists. The Minister acknowledged the value of that amendment but failed to support it. His excuse, as ever, was weak. During that debate the Minister claimed that his Department and the Dental Council were in discussions. They hey were not. It transpired that only very recently has any contact been made in respect of this matter. How much longer can the Minister stand over a situation where a dentist can walk out of dental school and never be asked, during the course of an entire career, to demonstrate how he or she has been keeping their skills current? How is that in the best interests of patients? I have not seen any evidence that the Minister is serious about addressing the grave deficiencies in the regulatory environment. Legislative change was listed as a key action in Smile agus Sláinte, but there is still no sign of a Bill in this regard. That is indefensible. A cat at the local veterinarian has greater protections than a patient in a dentist’s chair. That is incredible. There is virtually no regulation of dentistry. The reform proposals put forward by the Dental Council in 2021 are supported by both the regulator and the regulated. They are cost neutral. It seems to me that, not only is there a lack of interest within the Department, but also a complete lack of understanding.

When I last referred to regulation in the Dáil, I was told that HIQA, the HSE and the Health and Safety Authority could inspect dental practices. That is simply not true. None of them has the appropriate powers to protect patients. I refer here, as an example in this regard, to the 37 dentists reported to be working in Ireland who have been sanctioned in other jurisdictions. Nor can the agencies in question act in the case of an individual practising dentistry in this country who has a conviction for sexual abuse. All three agencies have very narrow remits. The Dental Council needs to have the appropriate regulatory powers.

It is all very well for the Government to say it is not opposing our motion. For that to mean anything, we need to see action and a guarantee that all primary school children will receive their three school-based screenings at the appropriate age. That has to be in place by 2027. We need action to strengthen and expand the capacity of public dental services for children and special care patients. We need the Government to commit to providing the required funding for the DTSS in budget 2025. We need it to immediately begin engagement with the sector to reform the DTSS and to commit to publishing the heads of the long-promised dentists Bill by September next. We need funding to be allocated in respect of all of those actions. We need to properly fund training places in the dental colleges in order that we have an adequate supply of new dentists coming on stream.

We need the Government to prioritise all of these actions. Otherwise, it is just engaging in a cynical exercise. Unless we see action within the kind of timescale demanded, this will all just turn out to be yet another Government charade. We need to see action now.

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