Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

I do not want to drag this out because we have spent some time on it and I take the point about competition. We would all welcome reduced prices in dental practices.

The Minister mentioned this is just for a year and there will be no impact on oral hygiene for the 2 million people who can avail of the service. Why then is the subsidy being reinstated next year? The Minister has arguments for the reinstatement of the scheme so why cut it in the first place? I do not understand the logic of this. It is as if the Minister does not believe this should be cut in the first place because she is saying it will be put back in place in a couple of months.