Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will continue here with the script on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Minister has listened to colleagues across the Chamber and I can assure them that the Minister appreciates the difficulties experienced by people accessing healthcare and is providing solutions. As I have mentioned, additional funding has been provided to resolve the current problems of access to the dental treatment services scheme. However, the Minister and the Government recognise that the current model of provision of oral healthcare is in need of fundamental reform and that has been acknowledged.

Smile agus Sláinte, the national oral health policy provides the guiding principles aligned with Sláintecare to transform our current oral healthcare services over the next eight years. This, however, is far too long a time frame. We need the here and now, that is: the short-term, medium-term and long-term measures. With the meeting of the dental officer from the Department of Health, the HSE, in conjunction with the representative bodies, perhaps we can address the timelines the Senator has spoken to because when a person is in pain, one needs immediate action and not to be wondering about reform.