Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take on board what the Senator is saying and I will certainly follow it up with the Minister. I assure him access to dental care through the public system is a priority for the Minister and the Government. The Minister has made substantial additional investment in oral healthcare services in recent years. In addition to the more than €200 million the Government invests in public oral healthcare services annually, an additional €17 million in one-off funding has been invested since 2019 and 2020 to address service backlogs. More than €200 million annually, therefore, is going into the dental services.

Fundamental reforms are also being progressed through the implementation of the national oral health policy, for which funding has been made available. The policy sets out the vision for the future of oral healthcare services. While it will take a number of years to be brought to complete fruition, there will be an early and continued emphasis on addressing the current issues. The policy fundamentally aspires that all Irish people will have their own dental home where they can build a lifelong relationship with a local dental practice or practices of their choosing for continuity of care from birth to old age. The policy has two goals, namely, to provide the supports to enable every individual to achieve their personal best oral health and to improve access to dental care in an equitable and sustainable manner, thereby enabling vulnerable groups to improve their oral health. I am confident that, working together with the dental profession and other stakeholders in line with respective roles and responsibilities, the goals of the policy will be met. A review is ongoing into dental training and the numbers of places in our colleges, which will, we hope, be completed reasonably soon. I take on board the other matter the Senator raised and will follow it up.