Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

There is much evidence for a lack of competition in the dental industry. The first is the fact so many people are travelling abroad, the second is the McCarthy report, which indicated that the Government scheme may actually be contributing to higher prices, and the third is in regard to the recommendations made by the Competition Authority, which have not yet been implemented. These identify that prices could come down. We saw this in the optical industry, with good value now available. People no longer go abroad and eye tests are available for €20 and spectacles for €40. There is nothing like that level of competition or keen pricing within the dental industry.

This is solely about saving money for one year. We do not believe in any way that it will have a long-term impact on oral hygiene. The only thing that was free in the past was the examination and scaling and polishing. People can still get a free examination and we encourage them to continue to benefit from that; the State will pay for that. The contribution towards the rest will not be paid by the State for this year.