John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As an aside on the GPO issue, the GPO has always been a hub of business transactions for well over a century. I am really excited by the Government's plans and the cultural and historical aspects. The GPO was always a hub of business and business transactions.

My question relates to a serious backlog in HSE dental check-ups for primary school children. Constituents have contacted me about their son who is now finishing fourth class. He missed out on this check-up because of Covid when he was in second class and he will not now be seen until sixth class, which will be in 2027. This child missed vital months of early education during Covid and is now being denied access to essential dental care. Could there be a catch-up programme for children who missed their second-class assessments? Could the Department consider reimbursement for tax relief purposes for those parents who had to seek private care to ensure their children's dental health was looked after? Could the Minister confirm that no cohort would be skipped in the school dental programme, in the interests of fairness, equity and restoring trust in public services?

See this speech in context