Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate the goodwill to Jeremy. Like Senator O'Donovan, I did not have an opportunity to enjoy his hospitality during his term but I hope I will have a good working relationship with George.

I want to raise the issue of dentistry services for medical card holders. It is something I raised at recent regional health forum meetings. I would like an idea of the availability of dentists providing a service for medical card holders. I was told that for my home county of Roscommon, four dentists are participating in the scheme. Unfortunately, due to capacity issues, many of them are oversubscribed and are not taking on new clients. People are being referred to dentists in other counties, sometimes a two- or three-hour drive away. I do not think this is acceptable at this time. I hope the Minister could look at this, with a view to taking on new dentists to provide this service in counties. I intend to raise it as a Commencement matter.