Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. He stated few dentists who have specialist training outside of orthodontics or oral surgery are employed within the public health system, but there are dentists working in the private system who have that additional training to work with kids with special needs to make sure they are able to get treatment. I want to ensure that within the public system, there will be availability of dentists with that training in order that more families will not have to go private to get treatment for their child, who would be able to get it under the public system, and pay a figure of, as in this case, more than €3,000. I am asking the Minister of State to ensure that will be looked at, but until such time as we can employ people with that training, we should compensate families through the National Treatment Purchase Fund. That fund exists and it should be expanded for other treatments, whether assessments of need, occupational therapy or speech and language therapy, that we are not providing for kids with additional needs. We need to expand it and use it. It has been used successfully for other operations. We need to put the funding in place, expand the scheme and make it available in these cases.