Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are committed to improving services overall. On top of the €200 million budget for public oral health, there has been additional funding of €15 million for the Smile agus Sláinte policy and €17 million in one-off funding to improve waiting lists for orthodontic services. There was €10 million in 2023 to support a decrease in the number of patients waiting to commence that treatment. There has been another one-off investment this year of €3.35 million to reduce waiting lists further. That said, we want to improve services even more. We are committed to the comprehensive reform of oral healthcare services, as set out in the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte. The Minister is working on an implementation plan for 2024 to 2026. It is being drafted by the Department of Health with the HSE and will be open for consultation and publication in quarter 3 of this year. Once it is published, I assume it will be supported by further budgetary measures to try to address backlogs and fill critical positions.

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