Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Gabhaim buíochas léi as ucht teacht isteach chun an cheist seo a phlé. Tá an fhadhb seo beag, b'fhéidir, i gcomhthéacs na tíre, ach tá sí mór dóibh iad siúd ar a bhfuil sí ag cur isteach. The major cutbacks that have been made to dental services throughout the country since budget 2011 have had a big impact in smaller rural areas. These problems have come to the fore in the Connemara area in recent weeks. The chief executive of the Irish Dental Association, Fintan Hourihan, said last year that Irish dental care is in a state of emergency and requires urgent assistance as a result of a mixture of official neglect and ongoing cutbacks. He continued:

Two thirds of dentists say they are now referring more patients to hospitals while 73% are referring more patients to HSE dental clinics. We predicted this would happen when the cutbacks were announced. We now fear that patients are in for a lot more pain and delays because the system is buckling under the pressure.

Early last year, subsidies for dental care under social insurance were slashed, as were entitlements to routine dental care for medical card patients. Some 88% of the dentists who were polled did not believe the public is aware of its remaining entitlements under two dental health schemes. This is having a particular effect on small rural communities, such as those in Árainn and Connemara. Local people in Carna were not given any news on the ending of the dentistry service that had been provided by the HSE and the health services for many years. They only heard about it in the last couple of days. The dental services provided in Connemara will be reorganised from next month. Alternative arrangements are being made to replace the service that is currently provided from the health centre in Carna one day a week.

This decision was made on account of staff shortages and the HSE being unable to replace staff who leave the service due to the public service moratorium on recruitment.

Currently, a limited service is provided by a dental hygienist in Carraroe and from February a dental team will be in Carraroe for one day per week to provide an elective and emergency service to the area. Patients who currently attend the one day per week clinic in Carna will be asked to attend clinics in Clifden or Carraroe. We are told the dental team will contact patients to rearrange appointments in Clifden or Carraroe. This will affect students in nine national schools that are served by the clinic in Carna.

The children of the area are being unfairly targeted due to the harsh cutbacks and the moratorium on recruitment in the HSE. This is inequitable, unfair and unacceptable. It is also very unfair to expect people to bear the extra travel costs pertaining to attending the basic services, as outlined, which could have a detrimental long-term effect on their health. I urge the Minister to use his influence to ensure that these services remain in Carna where they are accessible to the community, rather than take them out of the community.

The children in Carna are having their one day per week taken away and it is being given to the community in Carraroe, where we have already had a bad service. There is quite a distance between the two places and there is no direct bus service between Carna and Carraroe or between Carna and Clifden. Anyone who does not have a car cannot get to the clinic. Travelling also means taking children out of school for half a day and parents having to take time off work. The move strikes me as being very unfair.

I urge the Minister to see if there is any way the moratorium on recruitment can be addressed in this situation. I know that exceptions have been made in some cases and this is an area where an exception should be made. It would be for the benefit of those children. This is a very important service.